Mary Cassatt
Signature
Authentication

Mary Stevenson Cassatt (1844-1926) changed her signature over the years. Born Early on Cassatt included Stevenson in her signature. While this is not incredibly common, some artworks do use her full name. Most commonly, the artist simply signed Mary Stevenson or even with her initials M.C.

Cassatt wrote in a rather standard cursive that was sometimes more legible than others.

Cassatt also wrote a large number of letters that have been archived an digitized, to it is easy to find handwriting samples.

Sunlight and Shadow. 1879 Asoft-ground etching signed in pencil.

A signature enhances the value of a print and most artists signed their prints in pencil. These are two facts leading to signature forgeries.

Waiting. 1879 An aquatint and soft-ground etching on AGM, signed in pencil.

The signature is only a part of the authenticating process. Factors such as the size of the sheet, the type of paper, the appearance of watermarks and the quality of the impression all should also be evaluated.

Susan's Head. 1883 A drypoint on cream laid paper, signed in pencil.

Mary Cassatt's signatures are simple and legible and in most instances in the lower, right corner. The signatures below are in mediums ranging from pastels to oil.