In this carefully observed moment of a mother bathing her young daughter, Cassatt combines the stylistic influences of Japanese art with the subject matter from her own world. The composition's diverse patterns, including various floral designs and the woman's bold striped dress, are unified by a subdued palette of grays and mauves. The soft color scheme enables the viewer to focus on the central subject of the scene, which is the close bond between the mother and child. Their intimacy is evident from their proximity and the circle of touch that extends from the woman's hand on the child's foot to the child's hand on the woman's knee. They are as closely connected as the pitcher and bowl they use for this domestic ritual. With works like this one, Cassatt transforms the conventional artistic subject of the Madonna and Child from religious to secular imagery.
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