Gathering Fruit

"Gathering Fruit", an 1893 print by Mary Cassatt, invites us to share an intimate moment between a mother and her child. This beautiful piece, part of the National Gallery of Art's collection, measures 29.8 centimeters wide by 42.2 centimeters tall. Notice the delicate lines and shading Cassatt uses to create this tender scene. The mother, her back to us, lifts her child to reach the fruit hanging from the branches of a tree. Is she looking for the ripest piece? The child, held securely in her mother's arms, reaches up with one hand, eager to help. The artist bathes the scene in a soft light, minimizing shadows and emphasizing the verticality of the figures and the tree. The mother's long dress further accentuates this verticality, drawing our eyes upward.