Girl Arranging Her Hair

Girl Arranging Her Hair was painted by Mary Cassatt in 1886 and first shown at the Eighth Impressionist exhibition in Paris, opening on 15 May 1886. The work originated in a debate with Edgar Degas, who questioned women's artistic abilities; Cassatt developed the painting to counter his view and executed it with notable intensity. Degas was struck by the blend of classical and contemporary qualities and acquired the picture in exchange for his own 1886 Woman Bathing in a Shallow Tub.

After Degas's death in 1917, the work was included in his atelier sale at Galerie Georges Petit, Paris (26–28 March 1918, no. 8), bought by Louisine Havemeyer, and later sold at her estate sale in New York (American Art Association Anderson Galleries, 10 April 1930, no. 75). Chester Dale acquired it and bequeathed it to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, in 1963.

Girl Arranging Her Hair is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it entered the collection as part of the bequest of Chester Dale in 1963. Its provenance traces from Edgar Degas, who acquired it directly from Mary Cassatt, through his atelier sale at Galerie Georges Petit in Paris (26–28 March 1918, lot 8), to Louisine Havemeyer in New York, then via her sale at the American Art Association Anderson Galleries (10 April 1930, lot 75) back to Chester Dale. The painting's first known public showing was the Eighth (and final) Impressionist exhibition, which opened on 15 May 1886.

Exhibited at the eighth and final Impressionist exhibition in 1886, this painting marks a stylistic departure for Mary Cassatt, emphasizing rigorous drawing and control. The work emerged from a debate with Edgar Degas regarding women's artistic capabilities; Cassatt successfully challenged his skepticism, leading Degas to acquire the piece through a trade for his own work. Its integration of classical form with an unconventional, awkward subject reflecting both ugliness and beauty so closely mirrored Degas's aesthetic that connoisseurs initially misattributed it to him during the 1918 sale of his collection.

Scholars note the composition's reference to Michelangelo's Bound Slave and its subversion of traditional portraiture by capturing the model's self-consciousness. This critical reception underscores the work's significance in demonstrating Cassatt's mastery within the Impressionist circle and her complex artistic dialogue with Degas.

After its creation in 1886, Degas acquired Girl Arranging Her Hair and displayed it in his Paris apartment, a fact documented in the painting's provenance and contemporary accounts. Following Degas's death, the work entered the market and was purchased by Louisine Havemeyer before eventually joining the National Gallery of Art's collection, where it remains on public view. Its later ownership and the 1918 Degas sale highlighted the piece as a key example of Cassatt's challenge to gendered assumptions about artistic ability, contributing to her reputation as a pioneering Impressionist, and its frequent misattribution to Degas spurred scholarly discussion of authorship and influence, cementing its role in art-historical narratives about the late-19th-century avant-garde.

Girl Arranging Her Hair is an 1886 oil painting by American artist Mary Cassatt. This work depicts a young girl in a private, everyday moment, focused on her reflection as she styles her hair. The composition, characterized by a simple dress and plain background, centers attention on the figure.

Currently, the painting is housed in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. It offers a quiet glimpse into domestic life.