Mary Cassatt: Reflections of Women's Lives - Hardcover

An intimate portrayal of the world of women in the late 19th century, this text focuses on the life of the American Mary Cassatt. Her early decision to become a painter and to study alongside the impressionists in Paris defied the limited options for women of marriage and motherhood. Yet it is these very subjects that became central to her art. Using the paintings, prints and pastels Cassatt created throughout her career, this text explores the solitary, social, public and intimate worlds inhabited by the women of her family and social circle. In their simple daily tasks - writing a letter, sharing tea with a friend, caring for a fussing child - Cassatt saw subtle strength and genuine satisfaction. Through this volume, we can look back with her to a more tranquil time and celebrate the richness of the realm of women. Quotations from contemporary authors such as Edith Wharton and Henry James add further insight into this domestic world.