Page "Mary Cassatt" Paragraph 6

Cassatt decided to end her studies ( at that time, no degree was granted ).

After overcoming her father's objections, she moved to Paris in 1866, with her mother and family friends acting as chaperones.

Since women could not yet attend the École des Beaux-Arts, she applied to study privately with masters from the school and was accepted to study with Jean-Léon Gérôme, a highly regarded teacher known for his hyper-realistic technique and his depiction of exotic subjects.

A few months later Gérôme would also accept Eakins as a student.

Cassatt augmented her artistic training with daily copying in the Louvre ( she obtained the required permit, which was necessary to control the " copyists ", usually low-paid women, who daily filled the museum to paint copies for sale ).

The museum also served as a social meeting place for Frenchmen and American female students, who like Cassatt, were not allowed to attend cafes where the avant-garde socialized.

In this manner, fellow artist and friend Elizabeth Jane Gardner met and married famed academic painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau.