Mary Cassatt was a nineteenth-century American painter and printmaker who made her career in France as one of the foremost female Impressionist artists. Her work is often described as characteristically "feminine" in her focus on representing women, girls, and mothers in intimate, soft interiors. In this print, however, Cassatt addresses a new phenomenon of modernity: the working woman out in public. Riding in a tramcar (itself a modern innovation) are a working woman dressed in a high-collared dress and a nursemaid holding her baby. Cassatt combines the media of drypoint etching and aquatint in creating this remarkably stark image. What strikes you as significant about the details that Cassatt chooses to include in this print, and what do you imagine we are meant to understand about the sentiments and relationship between the figures represented?
What struck me immediately was the contrast between the level of detail in the women's clothing and faces and the background. This seems to draw the viewer into the female faces. What is interesting is that none of the subjects are looking directly at the view; this moment doesn't seem posed or staged. Instead, this looks like a candid moment of the everyday. The idea of the everyday, and the mundane nature of the narrative of the piece, seems to contradict the novelty of both tramcars and women in public. I think that these ideas taken together suggest that these two novel concepts may someday be the norm.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting analysis, Katie! The suggestion of a candid snapshot of the everyday is indeed very striking given the novelty of the scene Cassatt's print depicts.
DeleteThe women, although working class, are very poised and nicely dressed, from their hats to the cane. The fact that they work has taken nothing away from their feminine charms or wifely responsibilities. This is shown especially in the care and interest the mother is taking in her child. Additionally, the mother wears the color pink, emphasizing her femininity.
ReplyDeleteKatie makes a nice observation about the muted pastel colors of Cassatt's print, which were inspired in part by Japanese prints of mothers and children that were circulating in 19th-century Paris. It is interesting that the woman in pink is actually the hired nursemaid caring for the child, while the working mother is in even more formal dress beside her.
DeleteWhat strikes me about this painting is that Cassatt is able to convey emotions and relationships between the figures through such simple lines and colors. Cassatt depicts the working woman wearing an elegant brown dress. Brown tends to be associated with masculinity. The color of her dress creates a contrast with the nursemaid who is wearing pink. She represents the traditional woman figure in society. Additionally, instead of holding her own baby, the woman in brown looks away through the window. Although her silhouette is soft and feminine, her eyes are determined. Again, this creates a contrast with the nursemaid next to her. Cassatt does not depict the nursemaid's face, because she is looking at the baby. This may suggest that many women with traditional values tend to care more about their babies than they do about themselves. By depicting the nursemaid, Cassatt might be making a statement that women always sacrifice themselves in the sake of others, such as their husbands or their children. However, there are women who can step out of their comfort zone just like the woman in brown who looks elegant, independent and determined.
ReplyDeleteSherry adds another dimension to the discussion of color in this print -- the brown dress of the working mother is definitely in subtle contrast to the soft pink of the nursemaid's attire, and there is definitely a sense of determination in her upright pose and expression.
DeleteThis painting is simple, yet elegant. Cassatt depicts the working woman wearing a luxurious brown dress with an elegant hat. She appears to be more masculine than the woman beside her and she is looking away from the viewer with hope and determination in her eyes that she will one day be successful. This symbolizes the modern woman. Women today are capable of working endless hours to support their families while still maintaining their femininity and responsibilities. Cassatt does not depict the face of the nursemaid on her left. She is looking down at her baby with love in her eyes. This represents the traditional women figures who values their child more than they value themselves.
ReplyDeleteKelly also nicely observes the difference between the women's faces and sense of focus -- the working woman looks forward as if thinking about where she is headed (presumably to work) while the nursemaid is focused on the task of caring for the baby in her lap.
DeleteThe most detailed part in this image is the faces of the women. Not much detail is put into the surroundings or clothing, instead being simple shapes. The faces however are much more pulled into life than the rest of the art. The woman holding the baby, presumably the nursemaid seems focused and involved with the baby on her lap. The other woman, the baby’s mother, is looking off into the distance and not engaging with her child and its caretaker. She looks disinterested and sad.
ReplyDeleteInteresting how the working woman's face can be read in different ways! It was previously suggested that she looked determined, but Audrey makes an interesting point that one might understand her expression as disinterested or even resigned to her new position in modern life.
DeleteI find it interesting that the femininity of the women is still clearly portrayed even though the colors used are more muted and less vibrant, the dresses are less detailed and less frilly, and the faces are more plain and not made up. They still both wear nice dresses and take pride in their statuses as women while being a part of the working class. There are no men portrayed in the painting, possibly suggesting that women no longer need to rely on men to accomplish what they need to accomplish: not only can they find someone to take care of the child and still keep themselves looking proper, they can also go to work and provide for their family–even if that's just the woman and her child. The mother seems disinterested in the child, however, possibly portraying the opposite: that a mother can't both work and take care of her child, she needs the help that the father figure cannot provide.
ReplyDeleteKatie also makes a great point that there are no men whatsoever in this scene and that indeed, the tramcar seems abandoned except for these three figures. The focus is really on the dynamics of the relation between the mother, nursemaid, and infant and the questions their grouping poses about motherhood and femininity in modern society.
DeleteClearly, the woman in brown dress contrasts with the woman in pink, holding a baby next to her. The color--brown--is not as gentle and sweet as pink, which might be an attempt to suggest the toughness and masculinity of the woman in brown. Instead of paying attention to the baby, she is looking at somewhere far away, probably trying to figure something out. Here, this woman in brown is depicted as an independent individual whose focus is on herself or her work but not the baby or the family. Also, her expression doesn't bear the typical tenderness such as that of the woman in pink. As a whole, the simple colors of this work gives viewer a sense of directness and conciseness, which helps shift the viewer' focus to the figures and the contrasts between figures.
ReplyDeleteAnother nice point about the color scheme, and how the muted tones have a simplicity and directness that emphasizes the rapidity of modern life and the new technology of the tramcar. Again, this simplicity of line and color was inspired by the Japanese prints that were of such great interest to Cassatt and her fellow Impressionists.
DeleteIn this piece is seems as if Cassatt is focusing much on the representation of the working woman, her nursemaid, and the baby. This can be seen through there large depiction in the piece as well as them being the only people depicted in the piece. Cassatt depicted all three of them in lavish looking clothing showing her presumed wealth and importance. Cassatt is making a statement with this piece as she is focusing on the working woman as relaxing and looking out the window, while the nursemaid is clearly watching and attending to the baby. This shows the different woman that Cassatt is trying to show exist in society. Focusing in on the detail of the working woman's face, it does seem like she is disinterested and perceives herself as above the nursemaid. Furthermore, the nursemaids face can not even be fully seen as she is leaning over, which may add to Cassatt's representation of the different rankings and roles that woman have in society. Another interesting aspect of this piece, is the fact that the background outside the windows is very rural. This may be used to keep the viewers attention on the woman inside the tramcar as opposed to the landscape.
ReplyDeleteHarry makes a great addition to the discussion here in mentioning the landscape in the background, which indeed is characterized by the river and surrounding greenery rather than a dominant cityscape. It is as if the landscape too shows the transition between traditional and modern life that is explored in figures of the women as well.
DeleteIn Mary Cassatt’s Interior of a Tramway Crossing a Bridge, there are a few significant details that Cassatt has included that help us begin to understand the sentiments and relationship between the figures represented. Firstly, although the subject matter is that of a mother, nurse, and child, the mother gazes off the print into the distance, instead of remaining focused on her child as we would expect. Assumptions about femininity are further disrupted through the composition. The figures are presented almost as two distinct narratives: the pensive working-class woman and then the baby and nurse. The nurse and child are printed in lighter traditionally feminine colors that convey an equally light mood whereas the mother is printed in dark somber earth tones which also betray her own sentiments. In a way, the similarities between the three figures in having similar hats/headgear, ruffled clothing, light skin, and pulled back hair connect them all. This connection makes another narrative possibility where they all represent a generic working-class woman at three distinct stages of her life: as baby, as mother, as old nurse. Finally the background seems almost idealistic and out of place for the characters that struggle in male-oriented world and deal with problems every day.
ReplyDeleteGreat analysis that addresses several previous comments here, and also adds another nice point about the landscape, which indeed seems to represent a far simpler and more traditional world than the complex dynamics between the three train passengers suggest.
DeleteIn Mary Cassatt’s print, we see a very deliberate use of line and light. Within the tramcar, the viewer sees several parallel lines from the top of the print down to the floor line, almost framing the work. There is a sense that this print remains static, even though a tramcar is set in motion. Additionally, Cassatt uses very soft and muted colors throughout the print and strikingly contrasts the child’s bright white dress with the woman’s subdued brown dress. The nursemaid appears far more animated and alive in the print, as she attends to the child on her lap. In contrast, the woman seated on the left shows little signs of life and appears very somber and removed. Upon first glance at this scene, it feels like the woman on the left is almost more of a masculine figure while the nursemaid fills in the maternal role.
ReplyDeleteEmily makes a nice observation about the emphasis on lines here, and the strong parallel horizontals that almost seem at odds with the static feeling of the print, which represents a scene of figures in motion but conveys simultaneously a sense of eery stillness.
DeleteIn the painting, Interior of a Tramway Crossing a Bridge, there's quite a great contrast between the level of details on the figure and on the background.The woman, her baby and the nursemaid are all extravagantly dressed. The woman is glancing out the window. She's not paying attention to her baby; instead, she leaves the baby with the nursemaid. The nursemaid is holding the baby in her lap and looking down at the baby. None of them are looking at the viewer, making this scene very natural and not staged. There are no other figures in the painting to distract them, as if Cassatt is trying to create a very private space for her figures in a public area. Also, the color palette and the media of the painting remind me of Japanese Art.
ReplyDeleteAmy makes a nice point about how Cassatt seems to show us a private moment that is taking place, paradoxically, in a public space. And absolutely, the connection to Japanese art is strongly grounded in Cassatt's knowledge of Japanese prints!
DeleteSome significant details that I notice are the details in the hat. The dresses of the women are seemingly the same with no significant details or changes in colors. However, the hats seem to look unique to the individual women as they are different colors and have individual details. This is significant because it adds individuality to the women. It seems to give the viewer a window into their personality. The working woman on the left has a small amount of color and floral detail in her hat while the nursemaid’s hat has more variety in color and it seems more lively. Perhaps this exhibits the femininity of each woman. The working woman has to exhibit little femininity as she is a worker in the male dominated world, but the nurse maid is seemingly more feminine, as she is playing out her stereotyped role of being a caretaker. The two individuals are both women, but they both have different roles in society. This results in their different outward appearances and how they present themselves to the world.
ReplyDeleteGood observation about the different hats worn by the working mother and the nursemaid, a distinction in fashion that would have subtly conveyed a difference in class and status to a contemporary viewer!
DeleteIn the nineteenth century, women’s social status was much lower than men. What Cassatt shows in her painting was a daily scene of women on the tramcar. The woman in brown obviously has a more notable and prominent status, by just looking at the color of her dresses and her pose. Her pose presents most of her frontal body. More interestingly, her eyes are gazing the back, which shows her elegance. Even though the maid and the baby’s bright dresses are really eye-catching, they still might be used to highlight the woman in brown’s nobility. I think Cassatt wanted to show the world through a view of woman and tried to pursue equality for women in society.
ReplyDeleteBohao is absolutely right -- Cassatt clearly shows an interest not only in documenting the changing status of women in modern society but also in elevating their role through the very act of choosing them as subjects for her print. It is a subject that a male artist would perhaps have been less inclined to explore.
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