Works like The Child's Bath convey quiet moments of absorption and gentle caregiving within the refined interiors of upper-class homes.
Mary Cassatt was an American expat painter and printmaker who immortalized the tender bonds between mothers and children. Initially struggling to overcome biases against female artists to be accepted by the Parisian avant-garde, Cassatt later exhibited alongside the Impressionists and shared their interest in modern life. However, she uniquely captured the subjectivity of lived experience through images of domestic intimacy infused with depth of emotion. Works like The Child's Bath convey quiet moments of absorption and gentle caregiving within the refined interiors of upper-class homes. Preferring the medium of pastel for its speed and softness, Cassatt deftly evoked the fleeting world of childhood while also expanding the Impressionists' repertoire of subjects, techniques and capacity to arouse empathy regarding women’s restricted societal roles at the time.