The Coiffure

A woman sits in front of a mirror, both arms raised as she gathers and pins her hair, captured in gentle shades of cream, pink, and brown. The print, titled The Coiffure, was made in 1890 using drypoint and aquatint on laid paper. It is held at the National Gallery of Art, where it came into the collection through the Chester Dale Collection. The artist, Mary Cassatt (1844–1926), was an American printmaker and painter associated with Impressionism, whose notable work includes The Child's Bath. One detail worth noticing is the soft blending of color across the woman's skin and hair, achieved through the layered tones of the aquatint technique, which gives the scene a quiet, delicate softness rather than sharp outlines.