The Letter

Mary Cassatt

1890-1891 · Drypoint, soft-ground etching and aquatint, printed in colour · National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

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About this work

Artist: Mary Cassatt (1844–1926)
Year: 1890-1891
Medium: Drypoint, soft-ground etching and aquatint, printed in colour
Original size: 36.6 × 22.6 cm
Collection: National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Movement: Impressionism
Series: The Ten (colour prints, 1890–1891)

A woman in a patterned dress sits at a writing desk and seals an envelope at her lips, the flowered wallpaper behind her pressed flat against the figure. The Letter is one of the set of ten colour prints Cassatt made in 1890–91 after seeing the great exhibition of Japanese woodblock prints at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in the spring of 1890. She worked out a demanding technique of drypoint, soft-ground etching and aquatint, printing each sheet from several plates in succession to build up areas of flat colour and pattern, and the set was shown at Durand-Ruel's gallery in Paris in 1891 in an edition of twenty-five. The prints did not sell well at the time but are now among the most admired colour prints of the nineteenth century. This impression, the final state, belongs to the Rosenwald Collection at the National Gallery of Art in Washington.

This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.

Details & materials

• Restored in-house from the original painting — cleaned and colour-trued at museum resolution • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; 16×24 and 24×36 also available framed in black or natural wood • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Produced in 2–4 business days, then shipped from the facility nearest you. Delivery is typically 3–6 business days (US/UK/EU) and 5–12 worldwide. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The image fills the print at the painting's own proportions; nothing is trimmed to fit a frame.

Is The Letter in the public domain?

Yes. Mary Cassatt (1844–1926) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by National Gallery of Art.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; the two larger sizes are also offered framed. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was The Letter painted, and in what medium?

The Letter dates from 1890-1891 and was made in drypoint, soft-ground etching and aquatint, printed in colour; the original measures 36.6 × 22.6 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

For a standard three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 inches reads as a single statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pairing. The print's proportions follow the original, so a landscape-format painting is wider than it is tall.

About this design

The Letter (Mary Cassatt) — The Letter · Mary Cassatt · 1890-1891. This is a fine-art reproduction of a public-domain masterwork, shown whole and uncropped on a gallery ground, printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Three sizes (12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in); the 16×24 and 24×36 are also offered framed. Part of the Madten Fine Art Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

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The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in ~4–8 business days.

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