The Coiffure (known as La Coiffure in French) is a drypoint and aquatint print by the American printmaker and painter Mary Cassatt. Made in 1890–1891, the work was inspired by Cassatt's attendance of an exhibition of Japanese woodblock prints, known as Ukiyo-e.
| The Coiffure | |
|---|---|
 A version of The Coiffure held in the National Gallery of Art | |
| Artist | Mary Cassatt |
| Year | 1890–1891 |
| Medium | Drypoint and aquatint in color on laid paper |
| Dimensions | varies[a] |
History
editThe Coiffure is a print produced by American printmaker and painter Mary Cassatt in 1890–1891.[1] It was part of a series of ten color prints depicting women in everyday activities.[2] Cassatt was inspired to create the piece after viewing a Paris exhibition of Japanese woodblock prints organized by the École des Beaux-Arts in April 1890.[3] Cassatt wrote a letter later in the week to her friend and fellow painter, Berthe Morisot, expressing her fascination with the Japanese prints.[3]
In the fall of 1890 and winter of 1891, Cassatt made hundreds of drypoint etchings in her studio, including The Coiffure.[3] The dimensions of the The Coiffure vary depending on its version.[a] Cassatt employed a drypoint and aquatint etching process in the print's production.[3] One version was on laid paper.[4] A study for The Coiffure was made with black crayon and graphite on wove paper.[6]
Cassatt's piece was partially inspired by the 18th-century print Takashima Ohisa Using Two Mirrors to Observe Her Coiffure by Kitagawa Utamaro, which she had in her personal collection.[3] Cassatt's Coiffure shows a nude woman adjusting her hair bun.[3] The nudity of the model is intentionally abstracted, as a result of Cassatt's homage to the Japanese style.[3][5] Cassatt also produced a companion piece to The Coiffure, titled Woman Bathing.[3]
Since Cassatt's death in 1926, different versions of The Coiffure have been exhibited at various museums and galleries. Its provenance includes one version being held by the estate of Charles T. Brooks in Cleveland, Ohio through 1941, when it was then moved to the Cleveland Museum of Art.[5] The National Gallery of Art has exhibited it in 1948, 1950, 1963, and 1970.[4] More recently, the Guggenheim Museum and Yokohama Museum of Art exhibited the work in 2009 and 2016, respectively.[7][4]
Versions
edit| Image | Museum/Gallery | City | Dimensions | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Art Institute of Chicago | Chicago, Illinois | Image/plate: 36.5 × 26.7 cm (14 3/8 × 10 9/16 in.) Sheet: 43.3 × 33 cm (17 1/16 × 13 in.) |
[8] |
|
Image/plate: 36.4 × 26.7 cm (14 3/8 × 10 9/16 in.) Sheet: 43.3 × 33 cm (17 1/16 × 13 in.) |
[9] | ||
|
Baltimore Museum of Art | Baltimore, Maryland | Plate: 365 × 266 mm. (14 3/8 × 10 1/2 in.) Sheet: 433 × 300 mm. (17 1/16 × 11 13/16 in.) |
[10] |
|
Bibliothèque nationale de France | Paris, France | Image: 36.2 × 26.5 cm Sheet: 42.7 × 30 cm |
[11] |
|
[12] | |||
,_19.17.3.jpg)
|
Carnegie Museum of Art | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Image: 36.99 × 26.83 cm (14 9/16 × 10 9/16 in.) Sheet: 43.02 × 30.48 cm (16 15/16 × 12 in.) |
[13] |
|
Cleveland Museum of Art | Cleveland, Ohio | Plate: 36.8 × 26.7 cm (14 1/2 × 10 1/2 in.) | [5] |
|
Metropolitan Museum of Art | New York City, New York | Plate: 36.2 × 26.7 cm (14 1/4 × 10 1/2 in.) Sheet: 43.5 × 29.5 cm (17 1/8 × 11 5/8 in.) |
[2] |
|
Plate: 36.5 × 26.4 cm (14 3/8 × 10 3/8 in.) Sheet: 47.1 × 31 cm (18 9/16 × 12 3/16 in.) |
[14] | ||
|
|
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston | Boston, Massachusetts | Plate: 36.5 × 26.2 cm (14 3/8 × 10 5/16 in.) Sheet: 48 × 30.5 cm (18 7/8 × 12 in.) |
[15] |
|
Plate: 36.5 × 26.8 cm (14 3/8 × 10 9/16 in.) Sheet: 43 × 30.5 cm (16 15/16 × 12 in.) |
[16] | ||
|
|
National Gallery of Art | Washington, D.C. | Plate: 36.6 × 26.7 cm (14 7/16 × 10 1/2 in.) Sheet: 43.3 × 30.2 cm (17 1/16 × 11 7/8 in.) |
[4] |
|
Plate: 36.5 × 26.7 cm (14 3/8 × 10 1/2 in.) Sheet: 43.2 × 30.7 cm (17 × 12 1/16 in.) |
[17] | ||
|
Plate: 36.51 × 26.67 cm (14 3/8 × 10 1/2 in.) Sheet: 48 × 31.6 cm (18 7/8 × 12 7/16 in.) |
[18] | ||
|
Plate: 36.51 × 26.67 cm (14 3/8 × 10 1/2 in.) Sheet: 41.2 × 27 cm (16 1/4 × 10 5/8 in.) |
[19] | ||
|
National Gallery of Canada | Ottawa, Ontario | Plate: 36.5 × 26.8 cm Sheet: 43.6 × 30.3 cm |
[1] |
.jpg)
|
New York Public Library | New York City, New York | Image 36.5 × 26.7 cm. (14 3/8 × 10 1/2 in.) Sheet 43 × 30.5 cm. (16 15/16 × 12 in.) |
[20] |
|
Worcester Art Museum | Worcester, Massaschusetts | Image: 36.3 × 26.7 cm (14 5/16 × 10 1/2 in.) Sheet: 43 × 30.3 cm (16 15/16 × 11 15/16 in.) |
[21] |
Notes
edit- ^ a b Due to different versions of the piece being produced, dimensions of the piece listed by the museums such as Cleveland Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and National Gallery of Art, among others, all list similar yet different figures.[2][4][5]
References
edit- ^ a b "The Coiffure". National Gallery of Canada. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ a b c "The Coiffure (1890–1891)". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Khalid, Farisa. "Mary Cassatt, The Coiffure". Khan Academy. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "The Coiffure, 1890-1891". National Gallery of Art. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "The Coiffure". Cleveland Museum of Art. September 29, 2024.
- ^ "The Coiffure, 1891". National Gallery of Art. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ "[The coiffure] / Mary Cassatt ; MC [monogram]. digital file from original print". Library of Congress. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ "The Coiffure". Art Institute of Chicago. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ "The Coiffure". Art Institute of Chicago. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ "The Coiffure". Baltimore Museum of Art. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ "[Femme se coiffant] : [estampe] / Mary Cassatt". Bibliothèque nationale de France. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ "[Femme se coiffant] : [estampe] / Mary Cassatt". Bibliothèque nationale de France. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ "Mary Cassatt - The Coiffure (La Toilette)". Carnegie Museum of Art. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ "The Coiffure (ca. 1891)". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ "The Coiffure". Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ "The Coiffure". Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ "The Coiffure, 1890-1891". National Gallery of Art. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ "The Coiffure, 1890-1891". National Gallery of Art. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ "The Coiffure, 1890-1891". National Gallery of Art. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ "(still image) The coiffure., (1891)". Digital Collections, The New York Public Library. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ "The Coiffure - Works - Mary Cassatt". Worcester Art Museum. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
