On a Balcony
Mary Cassatt (American, 1844–1926)1878–79
View the original$30
Type
Size · in
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Materials & printing
Archival matte paper, 189 g/m² (10.3 mil), sourced from Japan, printed with multicolor water-based inkjet so every brushstroke stays crisp. Framed prints arrive ready to hang in a .75″ ayous-wood frame with an acrylite front. Sized to standard frames by cropping, never stretching — at most about 3% comes off one edge, which isn’t noticeable on most pieces, and we only offer a size when it stays that small.
Shipping & returns
Made to order and delivered in 5–8 business days (2–4 to print, 3–4 in transit). US shipping only for now. Because each print is made for your order, all sales are final — but if it arrives damaged or defective, send us a photo within 14 days and we’ll replace it free. Full policy.
Why is it this affordable?
A thin, flat margin on every piece — just enough to keep the store running. Most of what you pay is the print itself. We only sell sizes that reproduce at full quality, and we don’t mark up the large sizes the way most shops do.
About this work
Shown at the 1880 Impressionist exhibition, On a Balcony depicts a woman in a private garden surrounded by flowers rendered in energetic brushstrokes of red, blue, yellow, and pink. Mary Cassatt focused on the activities of middle- and upper-class women in society—from public outings like the theater to domestic settings such as this one. Here, the blue rail of the balcony, visible near the top of the painting, defines the enclosed space of a garden, and the sitter’s morning dress further indicates the intimacy of the location. Cassatt signaled the modernity of her subject through the woman’s choice of reading material: she peruses a newspaper rather than a novel, demonstrating that even at home, Cassatt’s subjects are connected to the contemporary world.
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 89.9 × 65.2 cm (35 1/2 × 25 5/8 in.)
Museum record · 1 owner · 24 exhibitions
Provenance
- The artist; with Durand-Ruel Galleries, New York, by 1903; sold to Mrs. Delia Spencer Field (1853–1937; also Mrs. Arthur John Caton, Mrs. Marshall Field), Washington, DC, 1922; by descent to her niece, Catherine Eddy Beveridge (also Mrs. Albert J. Beveridge), Washington, DC; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1938.
Exhibitions
- Fifth Impressionist Exhibition, 1880.
- New York, Durand–Ruel Galleries, Exhibition of Paintings and Pastels by Mary Cassatt, Nov. 5–21, 1903, as Femme Lisant dans un Jardin.
- Washington, DC, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Fifth Exhibition Oil Paintings by Contemporary American Artists, Dec. 15, 1914–Jan. 24, 1915, as Woman Reading in a Garden.
- San Francisco, Department of Fine Arts, Panama–Pacific International Exposition, June 2–Sept. 6, 1915, as Woman Reading in a Garden.
- MA, Worcester Art Museum, Exhibition of Paintings by Modern French Masters, lent by Durand–Ruel Galleries, New York, New York, Dec. 2–30, 1917, as Woman Reading in a Garden.
- New York, Durand–Ruel Galleries, Exhibition of Paintings and Pastels by Mary Cassatt, Nov. 15–Dec. 4, 1920.
- Art Gallery of Toronto, Exhibition of Paintings by Contemporary American Artists, Jan. 8–Feb. 6, 1921, as Femme Lisant dans un Jardin, 1880.
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Museum of Art, Memorial Exhibition of Works of Mary Cassatt, Apr. 30–May 30, 1927, as Portrait of the Artist’s Sister, Miss Lydia Cassatt in a Garden, 1881.
- Pittsburgh, Carnegie Institute, A Memorial Exhibition of the Work of Mary Cassatt, Mar. 15–Apr. 15, 1928 as Girl Reading in a Garden, or, as Woman Reading.
- Pittsburgh, Carnegie Institute, Survey of American Painting, Oct. 24–Dec. 15, 1940.
- Decatur Art Center, IL, Masterpieces of European and American Art, Mar. 4–25, 1945.
- Springfield Art Association, IL, Masterpieces of European and American Art, Apr. 4–30, 1945.
- Pasadena Art Institute, Mary Cassatt and her Parisian Friends, Oct. 16–Dec. 2, 1951.
- Utica, Munson–Williams–Proctor Institute, Expatriates: Whistler, Cassatt, Sargent, Jan. 4 –25, 1953.
- Art Institute of Chicago, Sargent, Whistler and Mary Cassatt, Jan. 14–Feb. 25, 1954, as Woman Reading in a Garden, 1880; New York City, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Mar. 24–May 23, 1954.
- Grand Rapids Art Gallery, MI, Cassatt, Whistler, Sargent Exhibition, Sept. 15–Oct. 15, 1955.
- Palm Beach, Society of the Four Arts, John Singer Sargent and Mary Cassatt, Mar. 7–Apr. 5, 1959.
- Art Gallery of Toronto, American Painting, 1865–1905, Jan. 6–Feb. 5, 1961; Winnipeg Art Gallery Association, Feb. 17–Mar. 12, 1961; Vancouver Art Gallery, Mar. 29–Apr. 23, 1961; New York, Whitney Museum of American Art, May 17–June 18, 1961.
- South Hadley, MA, Mount Holyoke College, Women Artists in America Today, Apr. 10–30, 1962.
- Albi, France, Musée Toulouse–Lautrec, Trésors Impressionnistes du Musée de Chicago, June 27–Aug. 31, 1980.
- New York, Coe Kerr Gallery, Mary Cassatt, An American Observer, Oct. 3–27, 1984.
- Nagaoka, Japan, Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, Shikago Bijutsukan Ten: Kindai Kaiga no 100–nen, Apr. 20–May 29, 1994, cat.; Nagoya, Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, June 10–July 24, 1994; Yokohama Museum of Art, Aug. 6–Sept. 25, 1994.
- Art Institute of Chicago, Mary Cassatt: Modern Woman, Oct. 13, 1998–Jan. 10, 1999, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Feb. 14–May 9, 1999, Washington DC, National Gallery, June 6–Sept. 6, 1999.
- Toronto, Art Gallery of Ontario, Cassatt-McNicoll: Impressionists Between Worlds, June 3–Sept. 4, 2023.
