On a Balcony

1878–79

Shown at the 1880 Impressionist exhibition, 'On a Balcony' depicts a woman in a private garden surrounded by flowers rendered in energetic brushstrokes of red, blue, yellow, and pink. Cassatt signaled the modernity of her subject through the woman’s choice of reading material: she peruses a newspaper rather than a novel, demonstrating that even at home, Cassatt’s subjects are connected to the contemporary world.

Public domain · CC0
Free to download and reuse. Image courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago.

Artist

Mary Cassatt (American, 1844–1926)

Date

1878–79

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

85.2 × 65.5 cm (33 9/16 × 25 13/16 in.)

Origin

France

Collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Credit

Gift of Mrs. Albert J. Beveridge in memory of her aunt, Delia Spencer Field