Susan in a Straw Bonnet

About this artwork

Mary Cassatt preferred to use friends, relatives, and close acquaintances as her models. Susan was a cousin of Cassatt’s housekeeper Mathilde Valet and frequently posed for Cassatt in the early 1880s.

Art Historical Context

Mary Cassatt's *Susan in a Straw Bonnet* (c. 1883) captures an intimate moment of quiet elegance, showcasing the artist's signature focus on women and children in everyday life. As an American Impressionist who lived and worked in Paris, Cassatt was a close associate of Edgar Degas and exhibited with the Impressionists during the 1880s. This pastel portrait likely depicts a family member—possibly her niece—bathed in soft, natural light, reflecting the movement's emphasis on fleeting impressions and domestic scenes that challenged traditional academic art. Rendered in pastel on paper, measuring 62.3 × 51.2 cm, the work highlights Cassatt's mastery of this versatile medium. Pastels allowed her to achieve luminous blends of color and subtle textures, evoking the warmth of sunlight on fabric and skin. The straw bonnet's delicate details and the subject's gentle gaze exemplify her innovative approach to portraiture, blending psychological depth with visual poetry. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings Department, this piece underscores Cassatt's role as a trailblazing female artist who elevated women's perspectives in late 19th-century art. Visitors will appreciate its tender humanity, a timeless invitation to linger on the beauty of the ordinary.

About the Artist

Mary Cassatt · 1844–1926

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) was an American painter and printmaker who became the only American artist to exhibit with the French Impressionists. Born to a wealthy Pennsylvania family, she defied social conventions to pursue art professionally, settling permanently in Paris where Edgar Degas invited her to join the Impressionist group in 1877. Her paintings of mothers and children—rendered with Impre...