Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) "Mother Looking Down, Embracing Both Her Children" (1905-08) Pastel, 36 1/4 x 29 inches Gift of the Enid and Crosby Kemper Foundation Mary Cassatt is best known for her images of mothers and children.  In 1872 the Philadelphia-born artist settled permanently in France where she soon became associated with the group of avant-garde artists known as the Impressionists.  Interested in light and spontaneity, Cassatt often used pastel because of the freedom it allowed without dealing with the lengthy drying time of paint.  As a woman, Cassatt was limit by the social norms of the time that prevented a “proper” woman from accessing subject and locations frequently seen in the work of her male contemporaries—nude models, bars, and dance halls.  Instead, she depicted the domestic sphere of families and homes more readily accessible to her.