Depicts · 1880
Mary Cassatt
Cassatt painted herself about 1880 in gouache and watercolor over graphite. The National Portrait Gallery, which holds the sheet as NPG.76.33, records Mary Cassatt as both the artist and the sitter.
Drawing
Mary Cassatt Self-Portrait
by Mary Cassatt
Mary Cassatt painted herself about 1880, in gouache and watercolor over pencil, hiding her sketching surface from view and looking directly out at whoever is looking at her. It is one of only two self-portraits she is known to have painted, and it belongs to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington.
- c. 1880
- Gouache and watercolor over graphite on paper
About Mary Cassatt
The artist looks back
Cassatt shows herself dressed for company, in a hat, at work. The sheet she is drawing on is turned away, so the viewer cannot see what she is making, and she looks steadily back rather than posing to be looked at. The National Portrait Gallery describes this as a reversal: the artist is appraising the viewer, not the other way round.
The painting is quick and open. Strokes of green at the right suggest wallpaper, a wash of yellow at the left stands in for sunlight coming over her shoulder, and that light leaves her own face in shadow. Large areas of the paper are left bare.
Where she was in 1880
The date puts the picture a year or two after Degas brought her into the independent exhibitions. He invited her in 1877, and she showed with the group for the first time in 1879. She appeared again in 1880, 1881 and 1886 — four of the eight exhibitions the independents held, and she was the only American in any of them.
She painted herself very seldom. Two painted self-portraits are documented: this one, and a watercolor of 1878 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which the Met titles Portrait of the Artist. The art historian Nicole Georgopulos has argued that a third should be counted, the drypoint print Reflection of about 1889–90.
Photographs of her are scarce as well. The best known was taken in 1913, when Cassatt was sixty-nine, and a note on the back from her dealer Durand-Ruel claims it was the only photograph she ever posed for.
How it reached the Portrait Gallery
The National Portrait Gallery acquired the sheet in the mid-1970s. Its object number, NPG.76.33, points to 1976, while the Smithsonian's own chronology records the acquisition under 10 February 1977, calling it a rare self-portrait and one of only two the artist painted. The record names no fund and no previous owner, and the drawing is not currently on view.
The same museum bought Degas's oil portrait of Cassatt, painted about 1880–84, in 1984. Her own picture of herself and his picture of her are now in one collection.
Timeline
1877
Edgar Degas invites Cassatt to exhibit with the independent group.
1879
Cassatt shows with the Impressionists for the first time, at the fourth exhibition.
c. 1880
Paints this self-portrait in gouache and watercolor over graphite.
1976
Acquired by the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, as NPG.76.33; the Smithsonian chronology records the acquisition on 10 February 1977.
1984
The same museum acquires Degas's oil portrait of Cassatt, painted about 1880–84.
Where to see it
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
8th and G Streets NW, Washington, DC, United States
Visitor entrances are on G Street and F Street, and all visitors pass through security screening. Check the museum's current display information before travelling; much of the collection is not on view at any one time.
Plan your visit on the museum’s official website (opens in a new tab)Frequently asked questions
Where is Mary Cassatt's self-portrait?
At the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, in Washington — object number NPG.76.33. It is not currently on view.
How many self-portraits did Mary Cassatt paint?
Two are documented: this one of about 1880 at the National Portrait Gallery, and a watercolor of 1878 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which the Met calls Portrait of the Artist. The art historian Nicole Georgopulos has argued that her drypoint Reflection, of about 1889–90, should count as a third.
What is the self-portrait painted in?
Gouache and watercolor over graphite on paper — the image measures 32.7 by 24.6 centimeters, roughly 13 by 10 inches. The National Portrait Gallery catalogues it as a drawing rather than a painting.
Can I use the image?
Yes. The National Portrait Gallery designates the record CC0 under Smithsonian Open Access and offers a high-resolution file for download, and the artwork itself is in the public domain.
Are there photographs of Mary Cassatt?
Yes, including a well-known one from 1913, when she was sixty-nine. A note on the back of that print, from her dealer Durand-Ruel, claims it was the only photograph she ever posed for.
In the atlas
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References
References
The sources below include collection records, catalogues, scholarly research, and primary materials that informed this page. They document Mary Cassatt Self-Portrait, its making, and its place in cultural history.
1Mary Cassatt Self-Portrait (c. 1880) — National Portrait Gallery
WebsiteNational Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian InstitutionUsed forWeb source consulted for documented facts and historical context presented on the Mary Cassatt Self-Portrait page.
2Mary Stevenson Cassatt (1844–1926) — Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
WebsiteThe Metropolitan Museum of ArtUsed forRecords Degas's 1877 invitation and the four Impressionist exhibitions Cassatt took part in.
3Degas/Cassatt exhibition brochure — National Gallery of Art
Exhibition catalogueNational Gallery of Art, 2014Used forCatalogue scholarship used to verify attribution, provenance, chronology, and interpretive context for Mary Cassatt Self-Portrait.
4Mary Cassatt — National Museum of Women in the Arts
WebsiteNational Museum of Women in the ArtsUsed forIndependent account of where Cassatt stood in her career around 1880.
5Mary Cassatt Brings Girls and Women to the Museum — National Gallery of Art
WebsiteNational Gallery of Art, WashingtonUsed forWeb source consulted for documented facts and historical context presented on the Mary Cassatt Self-Portrait page.
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Why these sources are here
These references provide the documented foundation for this work's history and interpretation. Claim-level citations remain attached to the specific claims they support.
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