An alluring intimate relationship is also seen through Cassatt's "Mother's Goodnight Kiss" (1888.) Here a mother cradles a half asleep child in her arms. A sense of mutual compassion is seen through the way “the arms and hands of the mother and child form a kind of interlocking composition� (Getlein, 66.) The sense of a lasting and concrete love is also promoted through presenting a goodnight kiss as “a ritual farewell at the end of the day� (Getlein, 66.) This depicts the love of a mother and child as something permanent and reliable. Bearing a child is considered fulfilling the need of love in a women's life, thus attracting women to the charm of motherhood.
Cassatt's "Emmie and Her Child" (1889) also signifies the appealing and powerful support, which lies between a mother and child. It can be seen that “the child's hand on its mother's chin is not so much a conscious gesture as it is just keeping in touch with the familiar and totally supportive environment� (Getlein, 70.) The embracing gestures of both the mother and child reaffirm their support and love for one another. These shared intimate gestures of mother and child prove that “Cassatt was especially skilful in her deployment of touching, interlinking hands create[ing] a sense of mutual trust and love� (Effeny, 104.)
This skill is strongly employed in "Baby's First Caress" (1891.) Here, the intimate mood is preserved through the child's tender reach to his mother's chin and the mother's gentle cradling of his foot (Effeny, 104.) These gestures so delicately depict mothers who embody and share love. Cassatt was able to recognize and appreciate this unique and precious relationship and help French mothers remember the charm and pleasure in raising a child. These paintings, among others, depicted a desired life and intimate relationship to advertise motherhood.