Mary CassattAmerican, 1844–1926The Boating Party
Can I see it?
Yes, on view now
Where is “The Boating Party” now? National Gallery of Art, Gallery 86 · West Building, Main Floor, Washington, D.C. Yes, on view now. Checked September 29, 2026.
Open now· until 5:00 PM
On public display.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
Details
- Accession number
- 1963.10.94
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- National Gallery of Art
- Image: National Gallery of Art — Museum open access
In the life of Mary Cassatt
The whole life1890s
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.
![Woman Sitting in a Garden [verso], Pablo Picasso, 1901](https://api.nga.gov/iiif/e3303575-2911-4b5b-9f77-140cb915922d/full/!2400,2400/0/default.jpg)
