Robert and His Sailboat 1882

Mary Cassatt created this pastel drawing, Robert and His Sailboat, during her time in France as part of the Impressionist movement. Cassatt, an American, found herself on the margins of Parisian society, a position that may have informed her focus on the domestic sphere. Cassatt was particularly interested in depicting women and children. The artwork provides a glimpse into the private life of the upper class. The boy, Robert, is fair-skinned with a very neat haircut and an elaborate bow-tie. He has a toy sailboat, showing the family’s wealth, but he is playing inside, reflecting the parents’ desire to keep him safe and clean. Pastel was a popular medium at the time, especially among women artists, and her work captures the fleeting moments of everyday life. To understand Cassatt's work more deeply, one could research the art market of 19th-century Paris, considering how it catered to specific audiences and shaped the careers of artists like Cassatt. Studying such works provides insights into the social and institutional contexts that influenced artistic production during this period.