Mary Cassatt-Early Life to Early Career

Mary Cassatt, born in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania in 1844, made the bold decision to pursue a life as an artist, despite the pressures of her generation to participate in the societal conventions of marriage and motherhood.

Cassatt began her arts education at the famously progressive Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1960. 

Once in Paris and successfully displaying multiple pieces in the Salon, Cassatt’s independent thinking led to her disappointment in the annual exhibition.

After traveling and painting through many European cities, often with her sister Lydia as a companion, Cassatt was visited by Edgar Degas who belonged to a group of painters called the “Impressionists.”

The group was interested in conveying modern subjects using a distinct style, typically open compositions, emphasis on light, and quick, visible brush strokes. 

Two years after that meeting in 1877, Cassatt debuted eleven works with the Impressionists, and her career grew from there as she presented works at three more Impressionist exhibitions.