Cassatt

In an era when few American women thought seriously about pursuing careers outside of marriage and motherhood, Mary Cassatt's ambition and professional independence were noteworthy and unique. Cassatt: A Retrospective traces the life of this great American artist through the correspondence and accomplishments she maintained over a lifetime. Over 100 articles and documents - letters to and from friends and family members as well as reviews and commentaries on her work and associations - provide as intimate a perspective of this remarkable woman as one is likely to find anywhere. The daughter of a prominent Pennsylvania businessman, Cassatt began her early training at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia where she formed relationships and made acquaintances that would last her entire life. Carefully selected letters with fascinating descriptions of social events, professional meetings, meals, and homelife abroad span several decades to reveal Cassatt's thoughts and activities: her move to Paris to further her training; her thrill and uncertainty as her work is noticed by instructors and juries; her at once stormy and reverential friendship with Edgar Degas; and the s