Woman with a Fan

Woman with a Fan (1880, National Gallery of Art) was painted during one of the most productive periods of Cassatt's career, when she was closely engaged with the Impressionist circle and exhibiting regularly in their group shows. The fan was a fashionable accessory in bourgeois Parisian society and a recurring prop in Impressionist depictions of modern women, appearing frequently in works by Degas and Monet. For Cassatt the fan also resonated with her developing interest in Japanese art, where folding fans and their decorative potential were prominent subjects.

The fan provides a curvilinear compositional element that draws the eye and introduces decorative detail against the more freely painted figure. Cassatt uses the contrast between the intricate fan and the broadly painted dress and setting to create visual rhythm. The palette is warm and subtly varied.