May 22, 1844

Mary Cassatt (May 22, 1844 to June 14, 1926) is famous for her portraits of children and women. I am not sure it is ever easy succeeding as a modern artist but it may have been harder for a woman.





We are reminded:

'Cassatt faced .... obstacles in her art training: as a woman, she could study privately under well-known artists – Gérôme, Chaplin, Couture – but she was not allowed to follow courses at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Sometimes, being foreign was an additional handicap: both Cassatt and Pissarro were occasionally excluded from shows on grounds of nationality. However, Cassatt’s position was not all disadvantage. She came from a very supportive and very rich Pittsburgh family (her father could happily retire at 42); she was well educated, well travelled, trilingual and forceful of character; she could afford to visit Rome, Parma, Madrid and the Low Countries in search of great masters....'

So we are all richer for Cassatt's paintings.