Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper

Posted on by The Wandering Art Historian

Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper by Harriet Scott Chessman offers the reader a new and somewhat surprising look at the life of Impressionist Mary Cassatt.  Told from the perspective of her dear sister, Lydia, and inspired by five paintings for which Lydia posed, Chessman provides an intriguing look at Paris on the cusp of Modern Art, the relationship between artist and model and what it means to be a woman artist in a field dominated by men.

I really enjoyed the author’s take on the interactions between Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas and how she depicted both figures.  There is so much speculation about the two great artists and their relationship – was it mentor-student?  Were they friends and colleagues?  Was there something romantic between them?  Regardless, the character of Lydia Cassatt is compelling and likable and provides a sweet foil to Mary Cassatt and her life in the art world.

 

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I am writer and artist with a degree in art history who loves to talk to people about art. I have spent the last seven years building up The Wandering Art Historian “brand” as a way to connect with people who want to learn more about art. I give lectures and presentations and teach classes and host book club discussions with a creative or artistic connection. I also write about local artists, events, museums, and exhibitions to promote the arts in Central Florida. In 2021, I had a creative crisis. I struggled with authenticity in the art making process. I decided to make myself vulnerable and find out what a real, genuine Adrienne H. Lee artwork would look like. The process was challenging and emotional and revelatory. I learned that if necessity is the mother of invention, then authenticity is the mother of reinvention. I reinvented myself and learned an entirely new medium. The resulting artwork surprised me, and it will surprise you, too. Some people wish for a fairytale ending. For me, the fairy tale is only the beginning.