Mary Cassatt
In about 1890, Cassatt redirected her art toward women caring for children and children alone—themes that reflected her affection for her nieces and nephews and the prevailing cultural interest in child rearing. Cassatt enlisted two unrelated models to enact the roles of mother and child for this painting. Louisine Havemeyer (a New Yorker art collector, feminist, and philanthropist), who purchased it in 1901, remarked on its truthfulness: “Look at that little child that has just thrown herself against her mother’s knee, regardless of the result and oblivious to the fact that she could disturb ‘her mamma.’ And she is quite right, she does not disturb her mother. Mamma simply draws back a bit and continues to sew.”
Mary Cassatt was an American painter and printmaker. She was born in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, but lived much of her adult life in France where she befriended Edgar Degas and exhibited with the Impressionists. If you would like to learn more about her role in the Impressionist movement, please check our Impressionism Mega Course here and if you're into women artists in general, our Women Artists notebook. : )
P.S. Here are the cutest babies in art, from Rubens to Cassatt! <3