Mary Cassatt

Born in Pennsylvania to a wealthy family, Mary Cassatt spent a few years in Europe as a child, then returned to France to study art over her father's initial objections. (He said he'd almost rather see her dead than an artist.) Cassatt painted prolifically even though she took much time off to care for her ailing sister and mother. In her seventies, she lost her eyesight and spent the last ten years of her life in frustration, unable to paint. Though she lived most of her life in France, Cassatt was always proud to be an American.