Image scanned from a transparency and color-corrected by Ed Pollard-2008.

The Family

Artist Mary Cassatt (American, 1844-1926)

Date1893

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions32 1/4 × 26 1/8 in. (81.9 × 66.4 cm)
Overall, Frame: 43 × 37 1/2 × 5 in. (109.2 × 95.3 × 12.7 cm)

ClassificationsAmerican art

Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.

Object number71.498

Terms

Collections

American Art before 1945

On View

Not on view

DescriptionThis is an oil on canvas painting. The figures are arranged in a pyramid shape in the foreground, reminiscent of Renaissance Madonna and child groupings. Both the Mother and older daughter gaze at the baby. The baby looks at the older sister, or perhaps at the carnation she holds. The viewer is standing slightly above the seated figures. The background shows a path that leads into some trees, but only the bottoms of the trees are visible. The mother wears a violet dress with a wide lace collar; her two hands firmly hold the baby.

Label TextMary Cassatt American, 1844–1926 The Family, 1893 Oil on canvas Mary Cassatt first exhibited with the Impressionists in 1879, and the paintings she produced through the next decade reveal a highly innovative approach to the depiction of modern life in France. Cassatt often found her subjects within her immediate social sphere, whether in quiet domestic scenes or lively public arenas like the Paris opera house. By the 1890s, Cassatt had developed a renewed interest in examples from art history. Paintings like this one drew upon Renaissance themes and compositional formulas, often seen in earlier depictions of the Holy Family. In this painting, however, Cassatt adapted this familiar model, rendering her subjects as fully modern, both in their dress and the park-like setting, as well as the bold, impressionist manner in which she has constructed the picture. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.498