A young child stands nude on a woman's lap, his body turned slightly to the left while his gaze drifts outward, his cheeks flushed with a warm pink. The setting is a domestic interior, suggested by the dressing table beneath the mirror and the soft, neutral background that keeps the focus on the figures. Light falls from the left, illuminating the child's torso and the woman's face, while subtle shadows model their forms and give the scene a sense of intimacy.

Cassatt applies paint in loose, visible strokes, especially in the woman's garment and the background, creating a sense of immediacy and softness. The composition is tightly cropped, with the figures filling nearly the entire canvas, their intertwined hands and close embrace emphasizing their bond. Small details, such as the child's tousled hair and the delicate folds of the woman's sleeve, reveal the artist's attention to the textures of skin and fabric.

A dark wooden frame of the oval mirror curves behind the figures, its top edge visible near the upper center of the painting. The lower left corner reveals the edge of a wooden table or dresser, painted with broad, brown strokes. A sliver of white cloth or paper lies on the surface of the table beneath the mirror.

The woman’s garment features blue stripes and yellow accents, painted with quick, broken brushstrokes that suggest folds and movement. The background is rendered in a flat, muted beige, with hints of shadow and indistinct forms suggesting walls or furniture. The light creates a subtle highlight along the child’s left arm and the woman’s cheek, while the right side of their bodies recedes into softer shadow.

The edges of the canvas are loosely defined, with the paint thinning and blending into the background, especially along the upper right and lower left. The painting is the work of Mary Cassatt, completed around 1899. However, the mirror also serves to reinforce the domestic setting, as suggested by the opaque surface that reflects little of the room, focusing attention on the private moment between mother and child. The painting entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1929 as part of the Havemeyer Collection.