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Information on MaryCassatt American,1844–1926 Suiteof10coloraquatints,ca.1891: AfternoonTeaParty TheBath TheCoiffure TheFitting IntheOmnibus Drypoint,soft-groundetching,andaquatint GiftofMargaretBattsTobin 1980.39,1978.23,1980.40,1980.37,1978.22,1978.24,1978.25,1980.38, 1977.25,1979.4
Growing up in Pennsylvania and in EuropeThefourthoffivechildren,MaryStevensonCassattwasbornonMay22,1844,inAlleghenyCitynearPittsburgh,Pennsylvania.Shehadonesisterandthreebrothers.Hermother,KatherineKelsoCassatt,learnedaboutartandcultureinthehomeofawomanwhohadbeenraisedinFrance.Mary’sfather,RobertSimpsonCassatt,startedhisownshippingbusinessforbuyinggoodssuchasfarmproduce,furs,andothermaterials,whichcamefromstateswestofPennsylvania.HethenresoldthemtobuyersintheEast.WhenMarywasthreeyearsold,herfatherwaselectedmayorofAlleghenyCity.TwoyearslaterherfatherretiredandthefamilymovedtothePhiladelphiaarea.
In1851,theCassattfamilysailedforEnglandandlaterwenttoParis,France,wheretheylivedfortwoyearsbeforemovingtoGermanyforanothertwoyears.Mary’sparentsknewthattheirchildrenwouldreceiveamorethorougheducationinEurope.TheyalsosoughtmedicalcareforMary’snine-year-oldbrother,Robbie,whosebonediseasewasgettingworse.WhileinEurope,Maryvisitedartmuseums,includingtheLouvreinParis,andlearnedtospeakFrenchandGerman.TwodaysafterMary’s11thbirthday,Robbiedied.ThefamilyreturnedtoPennsylvania,leavinghersixteen-year-oldbrotherinGermanytocompletehisengineeringstudies.TheyboughtalargecountryhousenearPhiladelphia,andlatermovedbackandforthbetweenthishouseandanotherresidenceinthecity,whereMary’sfathereventuallyopenedaninvestmentcompany.
Becoming A Professional ArtistIn1860,MaryCassattbegantotakeartclassesatthePennsylvaniaAcademyofFineArts.ShemetotherartstudentsandbecameclosefriendswithElizaHaldeman.Bothyoungwomenweredeterminedtobecomeprofessionalartists.Eliza’sfatherstronglyforbidthispursuit,writing,“Youwillgetmarriedandsettledownintoagoodhousekeeperlikeallmarriedwomenandsendoffyourpaintsintothegarret!”(Matthews,1994).Cassatt’sparents,however,hadalwaysencouragedtheirchildrentodeveloptheirinterestsandtalents.In1865,22-year-oldMaryCassattandherfriendElizafollowedtheirdreamsbygoingtoEurope.Overthecourseofherlife,CassattwouldreturntoAmericaoftenandforextendedperiods;shealsotraveledthroughoutEurope,eventuallymakingherhomeinParis.Afterstudyingwithartistswhopaintedtraditionalacademicportraitsandlandscapes,CassattbegantosubmitherpaintingstotheFrenchRoyalAcademyofPaintingandSculpture,hopingthejurywouldselectthemfortheannualSalon.Notuntil1868wasaCassattpainting,TheMandolinPlayer,chosenfortheParisSalon.Overthenextdecade,thejurydidnotalwaysacceptherpaintingsandshe,alongwithotherinnovativeartists,criticizedthejurysystemandAcademystandards.
TheLampTheLetterMaternalCaressMother’sKissWomanBathing(TheToilette)
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MaryCassatt Suiteof10coloraquatints,ca.1891
Joining the “Intransigents”Cassattgreatlyvaluedtheworksofoneoftheseinnovativepainters,EdgarDegas.Fromthetimeoftheirmeetingintheearly1870s,CassattandDegasadmiredeachother’spaintingsandwerelifelongfriends,despitetheirfiercelyindependentnatures.Hispersonalitywasabrasiveandirritable,whileCassatthadanuncompromisingdignityandpride.InfluencedbyDegas’sworks,sheexperimentedwithbrightercolors,flatterforms,andfiguresshowninunusualposesfromoff-centerangles.
In1877,DegassuggestedthatCassattjointheso-called“intransigents,”whowerebecomingknownastheImpressionists.Heexhibitedhisownworkintheirindependentexhibitions,thoughhedidnotwanttobecalledanImpressionist.ByexhibitingwiththeImpressionists,Cassattleftbehindthelargelyanonymouscommunityofwomenartistsfortheopportunitytoachieverecognition.AsherfriendshipswiththeImpressionistsevolved,Cassatt’sbrushstrokesbecamemorespontaneous.Inthisatmosphereofexperimentation,shecreatedworksinpastel,gouache(opaquewatercolor),andmetallicpaint.
DegasandCassattusedsimilarcolorsandbothchosetheatricalsettingsformanyworks.Whilehissubjectswereperformers,hersweremembersoftheaudience.Attheendof1879,thetwoartistsbeganworkingcloselyonblack-and-whiteetchingsforthe1880Impressionistexhibition.TheirexperimentswithprintmakingwereforerunnersforCassatt’stencoloraquatintsmadeintheearly1890s,asetofwhichareownedbytheMcNay.
À la Japonais: “. . . you couldn’t dream of anything more beautiful”Inthespringof1890,Cassattandotherartistswereenchantedbyanexhibitionofmorethan700JapaneseworksofartinParis.ShevisitedtheexhibitionoftenandwrotetoherfriendBertheMorisot,“Youwhowanttomakecolorprintsyoucouldn’tdreamofanythingmorebeautiful”(Barter).Cassattparticularlyadmiredthe18th-centuryJapanesemasterKitagawaUtamaro,whosewoodcutsexploredthemoodsofwomenthroughposeandgesture.Afewmonthslater,Cassattbeganherownseriesofcolorprints,inspiredbytheboldlines,subtleevocativecolors,andbackgroundpatternsshesawinUtamaro’swoodcuts.Sheminimizedfacialfeatures,emphsazingtheuniversalityofhertheme.SheevenusedsomeofthesameactivitiesUtamaroshowed:womenwashinganddressingthemselves,combingtheirhair,bathingchildren,anddrinkingtea.
UnliketheJapaneseprints,Cassatt’stenprintsofwomen’sdailylivesandordinaryactivitiesarenotwoodcuts,butaquatintswithdrypoint.Shedrewtheimagesoncopperplatesthroughanacid-resistantcoating,andthenetchedthelinesandtonalareasoftheplatesinanacidbath.Somelinesweredrawndirectlyontheplatewithadrypointneedle.Cassattselectivelyinkedtheplates,usingnotjustonecolorperplatebutcarefullyapplyingvariouscolorstodifferentpartsoftheimages.Whenprinted,theimagesapproximatedthecoloreffectsoftheJapaneseprints.About25setsofthetenaquatintsweremade,eachslightlydifferentbecauseoftheinkingprocessused.Thetenaquatints,completedin1891,makeupamagnificentsuiteunlikeanythingthathadbeenachievedbyWesternprintmakersatthattime.SinceCassattprintedsofew,completesetsarerareandtheMcNayisfortunatetohaveallten.
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MaryCassatt Suiteof10coloraquatints,ca.1891
AfternoonTeaParty MaternalCaress IntheOmnibus
TheBath TheCoiffure WomanBathing
TheLamp TheLetter TheFitting
Mother’sKiss
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MaryCassatt Suiteof10coloraquatints,ca.1891
Women’s Power, Independence, and MotherhoodMaryCassattischieflyassociatedwithimagesofwomenandchildren.By21st-centuryfeministstandards,Cassatt’swomenfallintothetraditionalrolesofmotherhoodanddomesticresponsibility.Inherownday,Cassatt’sportrayalsofwomen,especiallyinamuralshepaintedforthe1893World’sColumbianExpositioninChicago,emphasizedwomen’spowerandvalueintheserolesapartfromtheirrelationshipswithmen—aradicalideaatthetime.Cassattwrotetoafriendaboutthemural,“AnAmericanfriendaskedmeinaratherhuffytonetheotherday,‘Thenthisisawomanapartfromherrelationstoman?’Itoldhimitwas.Men...arepaintedinalltheirvigoronthewallsofotherbuildings”(Barter).Thoughshewasnotsupportiveofthewomen’ssuffragemovementofthelate1800s,Cassatt’spursuitofherprofessionmatchedtherigorofanyofhermalecontemporaries.
In1926,Cassattdiedattheageof82.Herpaintingsandprintsaredisplayedinmajorartmuseumsaroundtheworld.DuringherlifesheworkedvigorouslyforthesuccessofallofherfellowImpressionistartists,yetwasextremelymodestaboutherownpaintings.ThedealerAmbroiseVollardwrote:
...whatadifferencewhereherownpaintingwasconcerned!Whatanaversionfrom‘pushing’herworkinpublic.Onedayatanexhibition,[visitors]werefightingforandagainsttheImpressionists.“But,”saidsomeone,speakingtoMaryCassattwithoutknowingwhoshewas,“youareforgettingaforeignpainterthatDegasranksveryhigh.”“Whoisthat?”sheaskedinastonishment.“MaryCassatt.”Withoutfalsemodesty,quitenaturally,sheexclaimed,“Oh,nonsense!”“Sheisjealous,”murmuredtheother,turningaway.
Sources Worth ConsultingBarter,JudithA.,withcontributionsbyHirschler,EricaA.,etal.MaryCassatt:ModernWoman.TheArt
InstituteofChicago,inassociationwithHarryN.Abrams,Inc.,1998.Mathews,NancyMowll,ed.Cassatt:ARetrospective.HughLauterLevinAssociates,Inc.,1996.Mathews,NancyMowll.MaryCassatt:ALife.NewYork:VillardBooks,1994.Vollard,Ambroise.RecollectionsofaPictureDealer,translatedbyVioletM.MacDonald.NewYork:Dover
Publications,Inc.,1978.
Prepared byRoseM.GlennonDateJanuary29,2002
