Cassatt

Cassatt is a surname of French origin and is most widely associated with Mary Stevenson Cassatt (1844–1926), an American painter and printmaker who became a prominent figure in the French Impressionist movement.

Born in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, Cassatt studied painting in both Europe and the United States. She moved to Paris in the 1860s, where she joined the circle of the Impressionists and exhibited with them. Although she faced gender-based barriers, she gained recognition for intimate portraits and domestic scenes that often focused on mothers and children, and for her innovations in printmaking, including color aquatints. Her work is noted for its clear composition, subtle color, and modern sensibility. Notable works include The Bath (1892), Little Girl in a Blue Armchair (1878), and The Boating Party (1893–1894).

Cassatt remained largely based in France for much of her life, while maintaining American citizenship and contributing to the development of women artists’ education and opportunities. She died in Le Mesnil-Théribus, France, in 1926. Her legacy endures in major museums that hold important collections of her paintings and prints. She is regarded as a leading figure in American Impressionism and as a pioneer who helped expand the role of women artists within the broader modern art movement.