Peasant Mother and Child

About this work

This sketch shows just a woman’s face turned slightly away, her hair loose and messy. The child’s head rests against her shoulder, but only the top of their head and a few curls are visible. The lines are soft and smudged, leaving the paper mostly blank. The artist used a drypoint needle to scratch into the plate, creating faint, delicate marks. This method lets ink fill the grooves, making the lines glow faintly against the pale background. Look up technique: drypoint next to see how artists like Cassatt made prints this way.