Mary Cassatt - The Kiss 1890-1891
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The Kiss 1890-1891
34x28cm color aquatint and drypoint from two plates on ivory laid paper
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, US
The image is only being used for informational and educational purposes
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From Art Institute of Chicago:
Mothers and children were popular visual subjects long before the 19th century; it wasn’t until after the Enlightenment, however, that images of maternal undress were accepted in contexts other than the representation of Christian subjects. Beginning with the writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and other Enlightenment-era thinkers, people began to view childhood as a treasured moment in human development rather than a mere step to productive adulthood. As a result, children were increasingly seen as carefree, innocent, and deserving of protection. Their nudity in art was a commonly used symbol of natural purity and vulnerability.
— Exhibition text panel, Undressed: The Fashion of Privacy, June 22–September 29, 2013, Galleries 124–127.