The Coiffure

Created in 1890, 'The Coiffure' is a stunning example of Mary Cassatt's innovative printmaking during her most experimental period. This drypoint and aquatint captures an intimate moment of a woman having her hair arranged—a daily ritual that fascinated Cassatt as she explored the private lives of women. The work was created during the same period as her celebrated series of color prints inspired by Japanese woodblock techniques, particularly those of Kitagawa Utamaro, which she had seen at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. This Japanese influence manifests in the flattened perspective, bold outlines, and decorative patterns that characterize her printmaking from 1890-91.

Cassatt was among the most technically accomplished printmakers of her generation, and this piece demonstrates her mastery of the aquatint process, which creates tonal areas through acid-bitten patterns. The subject matter—a woman at her toilette—places this work firmly within Impressionist interests in modern, everyday moments, particularly the private domestic sphere of women. Unlike many male Impressionists who painted women as objects of the gaze, Cassatt presents her subjects with dignity and psychological depth, capturing authentic moments of female experience. The choice of hairdressing as subject connects to broader themes in her work about women's bodies, beauty rituals, and the bonds between women, whether mother and child or, as here, woman and attendant.