Mary Cassatt 1844 - 1926

Payson T. Thompson, New York (acquired from the artist and sold: American Art Association, New York, Collection of Paintings of the Modern Schools: Including Twenty-Four Exceedingly Fine Examples by the Late Mary Cassatt: The Property of Mr. Payson T. Thompson, New York City, January 12, 1928, lot 88, illustrated, as Study of a Head)
The Brick Row Book Shop (acquired at the above sale)
Mary Williamson Averell Harriman (Mrs. Edward Henry), New York (likely acquired from the above and sold: Rains Auction Rooms, New York, April 17, 1934, as Study of a Head)
Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, 1954
Mr. & Mrs. Harris Masterson III, Houston, Texas (acquired from the above and sold: Sotheby's, New York, October 23, 1980, lot 217, illustrated)
Acquired at the above sale by A. Alfred Taubman

"Auction Reports–Thompson Paintings," Art News, vol. 26, January 21, 1928, p. 9
Adelyn Dohme Breeskin, Mary Cassatt: A Catalogue Raisonné of the Oils, Pastels, Watercolors and Drawings, 1970, Washington, D.C., no. 329, p. 142, illustrated
Cassatt Committee, Mary Cassatt: A New Catalogue Raisonné, www.marycassatt.com, no. 314, illustrated

Painted in 1899, Sketch of Antoinette (No. 2) belongs to the mature period of Mary Cassatt’s career, a time that Edgar John Bullard describes as “the most creative and productive” for the artist (Mary Cassatt: Oils and Pastels, New York, 1972, p. 16). Her work of this period is marked by a more painterly style that focuses on looser and broader brushstrokes. Using a neutral palette, Cassatt depicts one of her favored models of the 1890s, Antoinette, who appears in several other compositions both alone and alongside her son Jules. Here Cassatt renders Antoinette’s facial features with careful attention while illustrating her hair and torso with dynamic strokes of paint that imbue the canvas with a sense of movement. When considered in its entirety, this composition demonstrates Cassatt’s strong draftsmanship while simultaneously offering insight into her creative process.