When someone mentions impressionist art, typically a person thinks about the male artists who created a stir on the scene in France in the 1870s with their unconventional paintings. One American woman would join them and create some of the most memorable paintings of women from that time period.
Born into a wealthy family in Pennsylvania in 1844, Mary had great opportunities to experience the world. She traveled with her family to Europe where they spent five years. It was there she first had drawing lessons. Though her family objected to an artistic career for her, she continued her education at home with lessons in painting at a nearby art school. She was 15 at the time.
In 1866 with her mother as chaperone, Mary moved to Paris to continue her study of art. She was able to learn much from copying other paintings in the Louvre (an accepted method of art education), as well as studying under the guidance of professionals. After a brief return to the states, Mary returned to France to make a career for herself.
Disappointed to have experienced a rejection after years of acceptance at the famous Paris Salon, Mary was invited by Edgar Degas in 1877 to exhibit her works with the Impressionists. There was only one other female in the group, Berthe Morisot, with whom Mary became a colleague as well as a friend. She learned many new techniques and improved her skills as she produced more artwork, even earning a profit from the show in 1879. She would continue to be active with the Impressionists for the next seven years before her style once again changed and she no longer identified with any particular art movement.
Mary’s subject matter for most of her work was women. She used her paintings and prints to show mothers with their children, in everyday situations, more than anything else. She served as a role model for young American women who wanted to create art, though it would take years before her own paintings were recognized for their brilliance in the United States. One way she influenced art history was by encouraging her wealthy friends and family in America to buy Impressionist paintings. Her influence is felt most in the Havemeyer Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Learn more about her in a book from my shelf here. One is named for her, the other The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough was a fascinating account of all of the people who spent much time in France, one being Mary. This is an affiliate link; thank you for supporting my writing.