In the Omnibus
This print belongs to a series of color etchings created by Mary Cassatt between 1890 and 1891. Each was influenced by the artist's study of Japanese woodblock prints, especially in their use of flat planes of color and domestic subject matter. In the scene depicted here, a middle-class woman accompanies her nursemaid and child on errands throughout Paris. The group rides in an omnibus, a form of public transportation where different genders and classes could intermingle. While the nanny's attention stays focused on her young charge, the female subject appears distracted, gazing toward the ...
Details
- Palette
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Select a color to find related artworks.
- Medium
- color drypoint and aquatint
- Dimensions
- platemark: height 0.366 m, width 0.268 m
- Origin
- France
- Department
- Prints
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image provider
- cleveland-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Bequest of Charles T. Brooks
Art Genome Taxonomy
12 tags
Subject Matter
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Human Figure Both · 99%
Three human figures visibly occupy the composition, and the catalog identifies them as a woman, a nursemaid, and a child.
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Childhood Both · 98%
A young child in light clothing is visibly held in the foreground; the catalog explicitly identifies the child accompanying the two women.
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Scenes of Everyday Life Both · 96%
The image shows an ordinary journey in a public vehicle, while the catalog describes the group traveling through Paris on errands.
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Modes of Transportation Both · 99%
The figures are visibly seated inside an omnibus, which the catalog identifies as their form of public transportation.
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Interiors Both · 97%
The figures occupy an enclosed vehicle interior with benches, windows, roof structure, and vertical framing clearly visible.
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The Domestic and Domesticity Both · 90%
The child-centered caregiving arrangement is visible, and the catalog explicitly characterizes the series as addressing domestic subject matter.
Styles and Movements
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Japonisme Metadata · 98%
The catalog states that this series was influenced by Japanese woodblock prints, particularly their use of flat planes of color and domestic subject matter.
Visual Qualities
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Flatness Visual · 95%
The print uses broad, relatively even areas of muted color with limited volumetric modeling, emphasizing the picture plane.
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Pastel Colors Visual · 91%
The palette is subdued, including dusty orange, peach, cream, gray, and pale green tones.
Medium and Techniques
Time Periods
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Late 19th Century Art Metadata · 99%
The catalog dates the work to 1890–91.
Source & rights
Mary Cassatt (American, 1844–1926). In the Omnibus. Cleveland Museum of Art.