{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1036066"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1036066/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2011EU2087/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2011EU2087/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2011EU2087","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O1036066/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1036066","accessionNumber":"CIRC.325-1965","objectType":"Print","titles":[{"title":"Sara Smiling","type":"assigned by artist"}],"summaryDescription":"Known as ‘The Mother of Modern Print’, Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) was a prolific artist and printmaker working in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Cassatt was born in America but spent the majority of her creative career working in Europe, particularly France, where she became a member of the Impressionist movement. \n\r\nThough originally trained as a painter, a medium that she would continue to use throughout her career, Cassatt is most well known for her prints. She made around 220 prints throughout her lifetime, using techniques such as aquatint, drypoint, and etching. The V&A holds four prints by Cassatt, three black and white, and one colour print, ‘Sara Smiling’ (CIRC.325-1965). Though the colour in this print is muted, Cassatt’s other colour prints are some of her most striking works. Aside from her incredible technical ability as a printmaker, Cassatt is also known for her portrayals of women, capturing tender observations of everyday women such as mothers and working women. These intimate moments between women were central to Cassatt's work.\r\n","physicalDescription":"Drypoint print showing a young blonde girl sat in a blue chair, smiling.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Mary Cassatt","id":"A31276"},"association":{"text":"artist","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"paper (fiber product)","id":"AAT14109"},{"text":"watercolour","id":"AAT15045"},{"text":"Printing ink","id":"AAT187371"}],"techniques":[{"text":"drypoint","id":"AAT53228"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Hand coloured drypoint, ink and watercolour on paper.","categories":[{"text":"Prints","id":"THES48903"},{"text":"Women artists","id":"THES387590"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"PDP","id":"THES48595"},"images":["2011EU2087"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"CNPA","id":"THES49192"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"print","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"No","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"France","id":"x28849"},"association":{"text":"Made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"c. 1904","earliest":"1899-01-01","latest":"1908-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Length","value":"23","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"18/12/2025","earliest":"2025-12-18","latest":"2025-12-18"},"part":"Plate","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"15.8","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"05/12/2025","earliest":"2025-12-05","latest":"2025-12-05"},"part":"Plate","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"33.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"18/12/2025","earliest":"2025-12-18","latest":"2025-12-18"},"part":"Sheet","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"25.4","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"18/12/2025","earliest":"2025-12-18","latest":"2025-12-18"},"part":"Sheet","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"In pencil in bottom left corner: B195","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""}],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"'Sara Smiling', drypoint with hand colouring by Mary Cassatt, France, c.1904","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"The Graphic Work of Mary Cassatt New York: H.Bittner and Company, 1948","id":"AUTH411386"},"details":"","free":""}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"<b>Who was Mary Cassatt? (1844 –1923)\r\nBorn in North America, made prints in France\r\nPrintmaking activity: 1878 –1898</b>\n\r\nThe American painter, Mary Cassatt, spent her professional life in Paris. Her first attempts at printmaking began in France in 1878, around the same time that she became a founding member of the group known as the Impressionists.\n\r\nShe was introduced to the medium by Edgar Degas, who mentored her and collaborated with her on prints. Printmaking became a vital aspect of Cassatt’s artistic repertoire, and she continued making etchings and lithographs, and experimenting with colour.Cassatt began experimenting with colour printmaking in the 1890s, adopting a distinctive approach inspired by Japanese woodblock prints. However, this impression reveals that in her later years, she returned to a more European style of colour etching. The golden-haired sitter is Sara, who became her favoured model.","date":{"text":"2022","earliest":"2022-01-01","latest":"2022-12-31"}}],"partNumbers":["CIRC.325-1965"],"accessionNumberNum":"325","accessionNumberPrefix":"CIRC","accessionYear":1965,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-03-13","recordCreationDate":"2009-06-30","availableToBook":false}}