Girl Arranging Her Hair
Mary Cassatt·1886
Historical Context
Girl Arranging Her Hair (1886, National Gallery of Art) was painted in direct response to a challenge from Degas, who claimed that women lacked style. Cassatt's response — an unselfconscious girl at her morning toilette, caught in an ungainly posture — was so persuasive that Degas reportedly said he would buy it. The subject belongs to a series of intimate toilette scenes that both Cassatt and Degas explored, drawing on Japanese precedents in Utamaro and Hokusai. The painting's willingness to depict unstudied physical awkwardness rather than conventional prettiness marks it as a distinctively modern statement.
Technical Analysis
The figure is depicted with deliberate awkwardness, arms raised and posture informal — the antithesis of conventional feminine grace. Cassatt renders the long-sleeved shift and loose morning attire with straightforward brushwork, concentrating on the specific gesture rather than decorative arrangement. The palette is light and domestic.
