Mary Cassatt Called West Chester Home

By Robyn Young

 Young Woman in Green, Outdoors in the Sun 1914

Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) was born in Allegheny City, now called Pittsburgh. From 1856 to 1859, the Cassatts moved to the eastern part of the state and lived in the house still standing on the corner of High Street and East Miner Street in West Chester. In 1860, Mary attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

In 1865, Mary traveled to Spain and Italy to study with Old World professional instructors. She finally settled in Paris and submitted her paintings to the conservative art exhibition known as the Paris Salon. Her paintings were exhibited in 1868 and again in 1872 and caused a sensation.

Cassatt joined the Impressionists, a group of radical artists. Among her friends were Degas, Gauguin, Renoir, Morisot, Monet and Manet. Yet Cassatt was so independent that she eventually left her Impressionist friends and developed her own style of painting using bold lines and colors. She is famous for her depictions of idealistic scenes of mothers and children. Cassatt experimented with drypoint, printmaking and etching later in her career. She lived in France for the rest of her life.

There have been three United States postage stamps issued in her honor. Examples of Cassatt’s artwork may be found at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the National Gallery of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago.

A state historical marker for Mary Cassatt is located at her former home in Pittsburgh. Mary Cassatt never married. She is buried in France.