Mary Cassatt was the only American artist to exhibit with the French Impressionists in Paris. Born into a wealthy Pennsylvania family, she moved to France to pursue her career against her father’s wishes. She became close friends with Edgar Degas, who mentored her and introduced her to the Impressionist circle. Cassatt is most famous for her tender, unsentimental depictions of the social and private lives of women, with a particular focus on the intimate bond between mothers and children. Her work also reflects a deep interest in Japanese woodblock prints, which influenced her use of flat color planes and unusual perspectives. Cassatt played a crucial role in bringing Impressionism to the United States by advising wealthy American collectors to purchase works by her French colleagues, which eventually populated the great museums of the U.S.