12 Fascinating Insights About Mary Cassatt

Throughout her career, Mary Cassatt focused on creating heartfelt portrayals of mothers and children. However, behind these serene domestic scenes was a fiercely independent and determined woman. As an American living in Paris, she aligned herself with the Impressionists, achieving success as both a painter and printmaker. Despite the societal constraints on women during her time, Cassatt broke barriers and left an indelible mark on the art world. Let’s delve deeper into the life of this trailblazing figure.

1. Mary Cassatt’s father opposed her pursuit of an artistic career.

Born in 1844 in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh), Mary Stevenson Cassatt came from a well-to-do family. Her father was a successful stockbroker, and her mother belonged to a wealthy banking family. At 15, Cassatt began her studies at the prestigious Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Despite facing condescension from male peers and instructors, she remained steadfast in her goal to become a professional artist—a bold aspiration for a woman in an era when societal norms discouraged women from pursuing careers.

Determined to advance her education, Cassatt set her sights on Paris, the heart of the art world during that era [PDF]. Her father, Robert Cassatt, met her aspirations with harsh criticism, famously stating, “I would almost rather see you dead.” Despite his initial resistance, he eventually allowed Cassatt and her mother to travel to Paris in 1865. However, as she worked to establish herself as an artist, her father refused to financially support her art supplies.

2. Mary Cassatt refined her skills by replicating masterpieces at the Louvre.

Since the École des Beaux Arts, Paris’s premier art school, did not admit women, Cassatt pursued private lessons under renowned mentors. She also obtained permission to copy works at the Louvre, a crucial training ground for female artists who were barred from mingling in cafés with male peers. Her dedication bore fruit in 1868 when her painting A Mandolin Player was selected for the prestigious Paris Salon. Notably, her work was displayed “on the line,” at eye level, a testament to its high regard by the jury.

3. Several of Mary Cassatt’s artworks were lost in the Great Chicago Fire.

When the Franco-Prussian War erupted in 1870, Cassatt returned to Pennsylvania and lived with her family. Despite her early success in Europe, she struggled creatively during this period. Her family’s rural summer home offered little inspiration, lacking both professional models and access to great art. Two of her paintings, unsold in a New York gallery, were taken to Chicago in search of buyers. Tragically, her visit coincided with the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which consumed thousands of structures, including the jewelry store housing her paintings. While Cassatt emerged unscathed, her works were lost to the flames.

4. Mary Cassatt openly criticized the Parisian art establishment.

Eager to return to Europe, Cassatt expressed her longing, saying, “My fingers … itch, and my eyes water to see a fine picture again.” Her opportunity came when she was commissioned to replicate two works by the Renaissance master Correggio in Parma, Italy. This allowed her to travel abroad, and after a period of work, study, and exploration across Europe, she established herself in Paris by 1874.

Although her works were frequently accepted by the Salon, Cassatt became increasingly frustrated with the conservative tastes of the Parisian art world. In 1875, one of her two submissions was rejected, only to be accepted the following year after she altered the background to conform to traditional expectations. By 1877, both of her entries were rejected by the Salon’s jury, ending a seven-year streak of inclusion. Cassatt voiced her dissatisfaction openly, with one friend remarking, “She is entirely too slashing and snubs all modern art.”

5. Mary Cassatt was the sole American artist to formally become part of the French Impressionists.

In 1877, Cassatt found a more compatible artistic community when Edgar Degas invited her to join the Impressionists. This group, which had also faced rejection by the Salon, was pioneering independent exhibitions—a bold approach at the time. Cassatt enthusiastically prepared for the fourth Impressionist exhibition in 1879, showcasing 11 of her paintings. The vibrant colors and bold brushstrokes of Impressionist works starkly contrasted the refined styles favored by the Salon, leading to initial ridicule. However, Cassatt, the only American artist officially linked to the Paris Impressionists, felt a newfound freedom in this style. “I abandoned conventional art,” she recalled. “I began to live.”

6. Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt shared a deep friendship and artistic partnership.

In 1875, Cassatt first saw Degas’s renowned pastels in a gallery window. “I would press my nose against the glass and soak in his art,” she later said. “It transformed my life.” Degas, too, was captivated by Cassatt’s work when he encountered one of her paintings at the 1874 Paris Salon. “It’s true,” he reportedly declared. “There’s someone who feels as I do.” Though a decade older, Degas profoundly influenced Cassatt, but their relationship was one of equals. They collaborated closely, working side by side, attending exhibitions, and sharing ideas. Cassatt inspired Degas to explore metallic paints, and he portrayed her in a series of intimate works, including scenes of her walking through the Louvre.

Over time, Cassatt and Degas drifted apart as their artistic paths diverged. The Dreyfus Affair, a political scandal involving the wrongful conviction of a Jewish army captain, further divided them; Cassatt supported Dreyfus’s innocence, while Degas staunchly opposed it. Despite their differences, Cassatt mourned Degas deeply after his death in 1917. “He was my oldest friend here,” she wrote, “and the last great artist of the 19th century.”

7. Mary Cassatt is celebrated for her depictions of mothers and children.

Although Cassatt never married or had children—she believed it would hinder her career—she became renowned for her heartfelt yet realistic portrayals of mothers and their children. Inspired in part by Renaissance images of the Madonna and Child, her works exude a natural, intimate charm, capturing everyday moments: a mother bathing her child, a baby touching his mother’s face, or a woman nursing. Cassatt’s focus on domestic scenes stemmed partly from her limited access to public spaces. Unlike her male peers, she couldn’t frequent Parisian cafés or clubs, so she painted the private world of women—a space where they held authority. As art historian Bridget Quinn notes, “By portraying these humble settings, she elevated women’s daily lives, friendships, and activities to the realm of high art.”

8. Japanese woodblock prints had a significant influence on Mary Cassatt’s later art.

In 1890, Cassatt attended a major exhibition of Japanese woodblock prints in Paris. These prints, created in the Ukiyo-e style, showcased vibrant scenes of geishas, Kabuki actors, sumo wrestlers, and stunning landscapes. Cassatt was captivated. “I dream of creating something like this and can’t think of anything else,” she wrote. Rather than using woodblocks, she experimented with metal printing plates to replicate the bold lines, flat colors, and intricate patterns of Ukiyo-e. While her subjects remained bourgeois French women, she drew direct inspiration from Japanese art. For example, her work The Coiffure mirrors a print by Kitagawa Utamaro featuring a woman gazing at her reflection. Ten prints inspired by Ukiyo-e were featured in her first solo exhibition in 1891, and this series is still regarded as some of her finest work.

9. A massive mural Mary Cassatt created for the World’s Columbian Exposition vanished.

In 1892, Cassatt received a commission [PDF] to paint a grand mural for the “Woman’s Building” at the World's Columbian Exposition, scheduled for 1893 in Chicago. The building aimed to highlight women’s accomplishments, and Cassatt was asked to create a mural representing the “Modern Woman.” Despite never working on such a large scale—the mural measured 12 feet by 58 feet—she found the challenge exciting and thought it would be “great fun.” Her mural, divided into three panels, symbolically portrayed women’s ambition, knowledge, and creativity. The central panel, titled “Young Women Plucking the Fruits of Knowledge and Science,” drew from the Biblical tale of Adam and Eve, but in Cassatt’s version, only women were present, sharing the fruits of wisdom with one another.

After the exposition ended, the Woman’s Building was torn down, and Cassatt’s mural was placed in storage. Although she revisited similar themes in later works, the mural itself vanished without a trace.

10. Mary Cassatt experienced a creative crisis following a trip to Egypt.

In 1910, at the age of 66, Cassatt traveled to Egypt with her brother Gardner and his family. She was deeply moved by the ancient relics, calling them “the greatest Art the past has left us.” However, the trip left her questioning her own artistic achievements in comparison to these timeless masterpieces. She felt “crushed by the strength of this Art.” The journey took a tragic turn when Gardner fell ill and passed away. Cassatt was heartbroken, and her health began to decline, eventually leading to a diabetes diagnosis. Emotionally and physically drained, she struggled to create art for the next two years [PDF].

11. Mary Cassatt played a pivotal role in shaping the collections of major American museums.

Cassatt served as an advisor to numerous art collectors and championed the donation of artworks to American museums. Her most notable collaboration was with her friend Louisine Havemeyer. They met in Paris in the early 1870s, and Cassatt encouraged Havemeyer (then Louisine Elder) to buy a Degas pastel, sparking a lifelong friendship built on their shared passion for art. Guided by Cassatt, Havemeyer and her husband, the “sugar baron” H.O. Havemeyer, built an extraordinary collection, particularly strong in 19th-century French art, featuring works by Monet, Manet, Degas, and Cézanne. By donating their collection to American museums—especially the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York—the Havemeyers helped popularize Impressionism in the United States. Louisine Havemeyer credited Cassatt as the “fairy godmother” of their collection.

12. After losing her ability to paint, Mary Cassatt became a vocal advocate for women’s suffrage.

Cassatt was a passionate advocate for women’s voting rights. “If the world is to be saved, it will be the women who save it,” she told her friend Havemeyer, who was also a suffragist. In 1915, Havemeyer organized an exhibition to support the suffrage movement. By then, cataracts had left Cassatt nearly blind, ending her ability to paint, but she contributed 18 of her earlier works to the cause. Despite a boycott by anti-suffrage groups, the exhibition raised sufficient funds for Havemeyer to create a fund supporting the suffragist movement. Cassatt expressed her joy, writing to her friend, “I am so very glad about the exhibition. The time has finally come to prove that women can achieve great things.”