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Although she is best known for her close association with the French impressionists, Mary Cassatt was born in the United States in 1845. After training at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, she went to Paris, where she became friendly with the painter Edgar Degas (1834-1917).

Always interested in the spontaneity of children, Cassatt made a series of studies of this young girl. The picture captures a moment in time, showing in paint the way the girl looks in bright sunlight. For the impressionists, the exploration of light and its effects on an artist's subject were as important as the subject itself. Although this is a stunning painting, it should not be considered a portrait; rather it reveals Cassatt's concern with the formal qualities of paint, brush techniques, and color relationships.

Notice the pink and white paint and the bold brushstrokes that create form. Cassatt emphasizes the two-dimensional character of the painting by reducing the modeling of the figure, flattening the composition, and leaving thick, distinct, and visible brushstrokes on the surface of the canvas.

Cassatt, instrumental in introducing the works of French impressionists to American collectors, stopped painting in 1914 because of failing eyesight.

This painting came into the Museum's collection as a gift of Mrs. Henry A. Everett. The accession number -- 1938:20 -- indicates that the painting was acquired by the Museum in 1938. Mrs. Henry A. Everett (1866-1937) donated over 150 artworks, principally American paintings, which helped to establish the Museum's American collection.

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