Artwork
Woman with a Fan
Woman with a Fan is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Mary Cassatt. It dates from 1878 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:center left: Mary Cassatt
About this work
A woman sits holding a feathered fan, dressed in a long dark gown with a white collar. Her face is calm, looking straight ahead. Mary Cassatt catches a quiet, unhurried moment in this 1878 oil on canvas.
Technique & Style
The brushwork is characterized by delicate, layered application that models the sitter’s features with subtle tonal transitions, a hallmark of her portraiture.
The painting is rendered in oil on canvas, measuring approximately 85.5 cm by 65.1 cm, reflecting Cassatt’s preference for a modest scale that accommodates intimate domestic scenes. The brushwork is characterized by delicate, layered application that models the sitter’s features with subtle tonal transitions, a hallmark of her portraiture. The composition emphasizes the sitter’s poised gesture and the fan as a compositional device, creating a balanced spatial relationship between figure and background.
As a work in the National Gallery of Art’s collection, it remains preserved on its original canvas support.
History & Provenance
The work was commissioned or created by Mary Cassatt in 1880 as an oil-on-canvas portrait. Durand-Ruel, New York, purchased it directly from the artist, as documented in the Chester Dale papers held in the National Gallery of Art’s curatorial file. The painting was later sold at the Durand-Ruel New York auction from 23 October to 12 November 1926, where it appeared as Femme à l'Eventail (lot 13).
It was subsequently acquired by Chester Dale, who bequeathed it to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., in 1963.
Woman with a Fan has been in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., since 1963, when it entered the institution as part of the bequest of collector Chester Dale (1883–1962) of New York. Prior to that bequest, the painting had been acquired by Chester Dale from Durand-Ruel in New York. The work appeared in a Durand-Ruel sale held in New York between 23 October and 12 November 1926, where it was listed as lot 13 under the title Femme à l'Eventail.
Earlier still, the painting had been purchased directly from the artist Mary Cassatt by the Durand-Ruel gallery in New York, according to documentation in the NGA curatorial file derived from the Chester Dale papers.
Overview
Mary Cassatt, an American artist residing in France, painted Woman with a Fan around 1878. This oil on canvas work exemplifies her contributions to the Impressionist movement. The portrait captures a solitary female figure, reflecting Cassatt's consistent interest in depicting the private and social lives of women. It offers a glimpse into a quiet, contemplative moment, characteristic of her approach to portraiture.
Subject & Meaning
The painting features a woman seated, her gaze direct and composed, holding an ornate fan adorned with feathers. Dressed in a dark gown with a white collar, she embodies a sense of quiet dignity. This depiction aligns with Cassatt's broader thematic focus on the inner lives and everyday experiences of women, often emphasizing their intimate relationships and personal spaces within society.
Context
Created during her active involvement with the Impressionists in France, Woman with a Fan demonstrates Cassatt's place within this influential artistic circle. She regularly exhibited her work alongside contemporaries such as Edgar Degas. Her unique perspective enriched the movement by focusing specifically on the domestic and social spheres of women, a subject often overlooked by her male counterparts.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Mary Stevenson Cassatt (; May 22, 1844 – June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker.
