Chapter Thirteen: Genius in Abundance Summary and Analysis

Mary Cassatt was thirty-four when she made her debut as an Impressionist at the 1879 Fourth Impressionism Exhibition in Paris. John Sargent who was eleven years younger also presented work at the Exhibition. The works of both American artists were well received. Unlike Cassatt, Sargent had no interest in Impressionism. His main interest was in portraiture. His portrait of Carolus-Duran launched his career.

Art critic Violet Paget, whose pen name was Vernon Lee, sat for a portrait and her kind remarks about the experience inspired other women to have their portraits done. There were rumors that Sargent had a romance with one of his subjects, Louise Burkardt, who was the subject of his "Lady with the Rose." Cassatt was devoted to her. Her only breaks involved family matters. She tended to her parents and...