A new exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art titled, “Mary Cassatt at Work” revisits the domestic paintings and illustrations of the nation’s only Impressionist, writes Judith H. Dobrzynski for The Wall Street Journal.

Mary Cassatt is the only American — and one of the few women — who were admitted to the Impressionist circle in 19th-century France.

The artist defined herself by her work and often corresponded about it with her family and friends.

Cassatt, who was also a virtuoso printmaker, spent so much time and energy on her art that at one time she noted, “I have overlooked my bodily welfare, but I have worked so hard besides and nothing takes it out of one like painting.”

Among many of her works, the exhibit highlights her celebrated paintings of mothers and children, including “The Family,” “Maternal Caress,” “Children Playing on the Beach,” and “The Child’s Bath,” all of which showcase the artist’s tender touch with the subject.

The exhibition presents 19 pastels, which are rarely on view because of their fragility.

“Mary Cassatt at Work,” curated by Jennifer A. Thompson and Laurel Garber, will run at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through September 8.

Read more about the new Mary Cassatt exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in The Wall Street Journal.

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