Alexander J. Cassatt

ca. 1880

Mary Cassatt American, 1844-1926

On View

American, Level 2, West Wing

Alexander J. Cassatt: 1 of Collection Gallery

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Provenance

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Exhibition History

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Published References

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Catalogue Raisonné

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Credit Line for Reproduction

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About the Artwork

In 1872 Mary Cassatt exhibited her work in the Paris Salon, where it attracted the attention of Edgar Degas, who introduced her to the impressionists, with whom she exhibited several times. Cassatt shared with the impressionists an interest in everyday scenes and is primarily known for her intimate depictions of women, children, and family members. Mary Cassatt painted her beloved brother several times, but this portrait was her favorite because, she said, it "was very much like him in those days." At the time this portrait was painted, Alexander Cassatt was first vice president of the Pennsylvania Railroad and one of the most powerful executives in the country. The businessman is seen absorbed in his thoughts, not in the least aware that he is being painted by his sister. Leaning back in his chair, he reveals perhaps a touch of farsightedness as he examines something in his left hand. The portrait suggests both the humanity and reserve that were attributed to Alexander.

Title Alexander J. Cassatt

Artwork Date ca. 1880

Artist Mary Cassatt

Life Dates 1844-1926

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. American

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Unknown

Medium Oil on canvas

Dimensions Unframed: 25 3/4 × 36 3/8 inches (65.4 × 92.4 cm) Framed: 35 1/8 × 45 3/4 × 2 1/4 inches (89.2 × 116.2 × 5.7 cm)

Classification Paintings

Department American Art before 1950

Credit Founders Society Purchase, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation Fund

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 1986.60

Markings

Inscriptions ------

Provenance

Mary Cassatt

through the family of Alexander Cassatt

Robert Cassatt. the sitter's great-grandson, Alexander Cassatt. 1986-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

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Provenance page

Exhibition History

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Published References

Mary Cassat. Exh. cat., McClees Gallery. Philadelphia, 1931, no. 4.

Mary Cassat. Exh. cat., Knoedler & Co. New York, 1966, no. 18.

Carson, Julia M.H. Mary Cassatt. New York, 1966, p. 138.

Breeskin, A. D. Mary Cassat: A Catalogue Raisonné of the Oils, Pastels, Watercolors and Drawings. Washington D.C., 1970, p. 74, no. 126 (ill.).

Lindsay, S. G. Mary Cassat and Philadelphia. Philadelphia, 1985, p. 57 (fig 15a).

“DIA Purchases Another Cassatt.” Detroit Free Press. (November 26, 1986): p. 6C.

“DIA Buys its Third Cassatt.” The Detroit News. (November 26, 1986) (ill.).

“DIA Announces Cassatt Purchase.” The Legal Advertiser Oakland County. (December 18, 1986): p. 4 (ill.).

Recent Acquisitions: A Selection of Works Recently Acquired from R.S. Johnson Fine Art. Exh. cat., R.S. Johnson Fine Art. Chicago, 1987, pp. 8-9 (ill.).

“Museum Acquires Painting.” O & E. (January 8, 1987): p. 10E (ill.).

“DIA Acquires Cassatt’s ‘Favorite’ Portrait.” Monitor. (January 22, 1987).

“Cassatt Portrait.” Antique Monthly 20, 5 (April 1987): p. 1 (ill.).

"Notes on Recent Acquisitions." Bulletin of the DIA 64, 1 (1988): p. 56 (ill.).

Barter, Judith. Mary Cassatt: Modern Woman. New York, 1998, p. 256 (fig. 32).

American Paintings in the Detroit Institute of Arts, Volume II. New York, 1997, pp. 40-41 (ill.).

American Beauty: Paintings and Sculpture from the Detroit Institute of Arts, 1770-1920. Exh. cat., Detroit Institute of Arts. Detroit, 2004, pp. 81-82 (ill.).

Mary Cassatt Retrospective. Exh. cat., Yokohama Museum of Art. Yokohama, Japan, 2016, p. 60, no. 030 (ill.).

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

Mary Cassatt, Alexander J. Cassatt, ca. 1880, oil on canvas. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation Fund, 1986.60.