On the Balcony

1890s

Mentor to young Americans

The 1890s are the busiest and most creative period of Mary’s life: young American artists seek her advice and support, and she introduces Lucy A. Bacon to Camille Pissarro.

1891

Colour prints inspired by Japanese woodcuts

Mary exhibits a series of highly original colour drypoints and aquatints, among them “Woman Bathing” and “The Coiffure”, inspired by the Japanese masters shown in Paris the year before. She was drawn to the simplicity and clarity of Japanese design and its skilful use of blocks of colour.

1891

Bertha Palmer commissions a mural

Chicago socialite Bertha Palmer asks Mary to paint a 12 × 58 ft mural on “Modern Woman” for the Women’s Building at the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. Palmer thought Cassatt an American treasure and could think of no one better.