Lydia Reading on a Divan 1881

Mary Cassatt, the American expatriate artist, likely painted this oil on canvas portrait of her sister sometime in the 1870s. Cassatt’s image offers an intimate glimpse into the domestic life of a bourgeois Parisian woman, but this is no simple slice of life. As a woman painter working in a male-dominated art world, Cassatt was pushing back against the institutional norms that had long restricted women’s access to artistic training, exhibition opportunities, and critical recognition. It's worth noting the ‘divan’ of the title was a fashionable and expensive item of furniture which suggests Lydia was from a wealthy family. Cassatt uses this visual detail to suggest a story about the sitter’s social position. Understanding the painting fully requires close attention to the social and institutional context in which it was made. Consulting exhibition reviews, artist biographies, and period accounts of Parisian life can all enrich our appreciation of Cassatt’s work and her place in art history.