Lydia Crocheting in the Garden at Marly (Mary Cassatt)

Lydia Crocheting in the Garden at Marly is an oil on canvas painting by Mary Cassatt created in 1880. It is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Lydia Crocheting in the Garden at Marly
ArtistMary Cassatt 
Year1880
Mediumoil paint, canvas
Dimensions65.6 cm (25.8 in) × 92.6 cm (36.5 in)
LocationMetropolitan Museum of Art
Accession No.65.184 
IdentifiersThe Met object ID: 10393

Early history and creation

Mary Cassatt's family had come to visit her at Marly-le-Roi in the summer of 1880 where the painter was living with her sister Lydia. Lydia, who suffered from Bright's disease, had moved from Philadelphia to live with Cassatt after she had relocated to Paris. At the time, unmarried women did not live alone, but as Lydia's disease progressed, she was no longer able to travel. The remainder of the family joined the sisters in the summer of 1880 and Cassatt's work at that time shifted to images depicting home life. Lydia became a frequent subject of Cassatt's work until her death in 1882.[1] Typically, Cassatt avoided plein air painting, though this work captures the sunlight, evidencing that it was painted in the garden.[2]

Later history and display

The painting was first shown at the Sixth Impressionist Exhibition, in Paris with eleven other works by Cassatt in 1881.[3] In 1893, the painting was listed in the inventory of the art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel. By the following year, Peter Arrell Browne Widener, a Philadelphia collector, had obtained the work. Later, Cassatt's brother Alexander Cassatt reacquired the painting and it remained in the family until Mrs. Gardner Cassatt donated it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1965.[1][2]

Description and interpretation

Immediately following the American Civil War, paintings of women in the presence of elegant gardens became popular. Following this tradition, the work depicts Lydia in the garden, crocheting, though the painting distinctly sets Lydia apart from the blossoms.[4] Painted in an Impressionist style, the greenhouse and orderly rows of plants are behind Lydia,[1][5] who is shown as occupied and seemingly unaware of the garden at her back.[6] Her pale face and pallid complexion are offset by the tartan and lace-cuffed garment she wears. Lydia appears to be enjoying her time in the sunshine beneath her lace bonnet and gloves.[1][7] Lydia Crocheting in the Garden at Marly, along with Lydia Seated in the Garden with a Dog in Her Lap and Katherine Cassatt Reading to Her Grandchildren remain some of her finest pictures from this period of her career.[8]

References
  1. Weinberg 2009, p. 229.
  2. The Metropolitan Museum of Art 2016.
  3. Clement, Houzé & Erbolato-Ramsey 2000, p. 25.
  4. Farr & Carter 2009, pp. 78-79.
  5. Marter 2011, p. 415.
  6. Farr & Carter 2009, p. 79.
  7. Davey 2008, p. 157.
  8. McCullough 2012, p. 393.

Bibliography
  • Clement, Russell T.; Houzé, Annick; Erbolato-Ramsey, Christiane (2000). The Women Impressionists: A Sourcebook. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-30848-2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Davey, Marcia (2008). Gallivanting. Bloomington, Indiana: Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 978-1-4628-4196-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Farr, Judith; Carter, Louise (2009). The Gardens of Emily Dickinson. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-03672-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Marter, Joan M. (2011). The Grove Encyclopedia of American Art. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-533579-8.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • McCullough, David (2012). The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 393. ISBN 978-1-4165-7177-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Weinberg, Helene Barbara (2009). American Impressionism & Realism: A Landmark Exhibition from the MET, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. New York City, New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 978-1-876509-99-6.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • "Lydia Crocheting in the Garden at Marly". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York City, New York. 2016. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
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