Mary Cassatt

Mary Cassatt is widely considered one of the greatest American artists. She achieved fame in the art world at a time when this was very difficult for women. Many of her paintings are exhibited today in museums such as the National Gallery of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the National Portrait Gallery.

Edgar Degas saw Cassatt’s work at the Salon, and in 1877 he asked her to exhibit with the Impressionists. Cassatt’s painting style and subject matter changed greatly because of her association with Impressionism. She abandoned colorful costume genre depictions in favor of scenes from contemporary life.

 Throughout the latter half of the 1880s, Cassatt produced etchings and drypoints of members of her family. Her failing eyesight prevented her from working for the last 15 years of her life, but because she had been an exceptionally prolific printmaker, she produced more than 220 prints during the course of her career.