In the Loge

The painting is an oil on canvas done in 1878. It showed a woman focusing on something, standing on a theatre balcony with binoculars on her right hand. Her eyes are glued forward, preferably on a theatre stage. Her left hand has a fan, showing aristocratic tendencies with a black sweater and white blouse.

The original photo measured 812.8 mm height and 660.4 mm wide. The painting exchanged ownership in the 19th century. Currently, the Museum of the Fine Arts in Boston USA is the home of the picture. In the background stands other attendees, whose attention is focused on the stage. There are two floors in the theatre. In the Loge appreciates the role of theatre arts in the late 19th century.

The attention showed by the lady in the painting, and the surrounding characters expound more on the popularity of performing arts. Paintings done around the same time include the Portrait of Miss Cassatt, holding the Cards (1876), Mary Ellison Embroidering (1877), Children in a Garden (1878), Little Girl in a Blue Armchair (1878) and the Portrait of a Lady (miss My Ellison). Most of her artwork features portraits or pictures of prominent women in society.

Born in the United States of America but grew up in France, Mary Stevenson Cassatt was an avid painter and printmaking. Her love for women and motherhood ranked her higher in the impressionist movement. Gustave Geoffrey described her as one of the 3 great ladies of immersionism.

Her style revolved around lighting, motion, and the contemporary design of the late 19th century. Mary started her painting classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. However, her family did not have an artistic background. Jean Auguste Ingress, Camille Corot, and Gustave Courbet were her immediate mentors. She also met Edgar Degas and Camille Pissaro, who later became her friends.

Into her artistic journey, she exhibited at the Louvre, New York Gallery, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the National Museum of American Art. Her independent approach towards art made her shine among her compatriots in the impressionist movement. She inspired many artists both in America and French, among them Lucy Bacon, Camille Pissarro, and Beaver Hall Group. In the mid-20th century, her painting was recognised by the American Army and the America Postal Corporation.