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A selection of 12 prints by Mary Cassatt, including six rarely seen works in color, are a much-coveted highlight of the October Prints & Multiples auction. With such a substantial offering in a single sale, this event marks an opportunity to explore Cassatt’s printmaking career in greater depth, and with estimates beginning at $4,000, there are options to suit collectors at all levels.

Living much of her adult life in France, the American-born Cassatt developed close friendships with artists such as Degas and Pissarro. But while her Impressionist peers were preoccupied with depicting everyday scenes from modern life— lively café scenes, grands boulevards, and popular entertainment such as horse racing or the circus—Mary Cassatt was interested in domestic subjects such as the tender moments between mother and child, or intimate views of women bathing, sewing, or reading. Now synonymous with the artist, these touching scenes have taken their place within the Impressionist canon.

A skilled and versatile printmaker, Cassatt is known to have created only 22 color prints. As such, the appearance of any color print at auction is a source of great excitement amongst collectors. The gem in this collection is La Toilette, a magnificent portrayal of a woman standing before her mirror. Here we see Cassatt’s skillful technique and lightness of touch combined with the pattern and flattened perspective associated with Japanese woodblock prints, a known source of inspiration to Cassatt.