Woman Arranging Her Veil 1886

Mary Cassatt made this pastel drawing of a woman arranging her veil. The woman is wearing a black hat and dress, and the background is a hazy yellow. Cassatt was an American artist who lived and worked in France for much of her career, associating with the Impressionists. What might it have meant for a woman artist to depict a fashionable woman in the late 19th century? In France, where Cassatt was working, the art world was dominated by men, and women were often excluded from the most prestigious art institutions and educational programs. Female artists like Cassatt often focused on domestic subjects and portraits of women, which were seen as acceptable subjects for women artists. Cassatt's images of women offer an intimate glimpse into the lives and experiences of women in her social circle. To understand the world in which this image was made, we can consult fashion plates, etiquette manuals, exhibition reviews, and biographies of artists and patrons. Art like this gains its full meaning from the web of social and institutional relations in which it was produced.