[originaltext] Mary Cassatt was born in 1854 near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Mary Cassatt was born in 1854 near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  (32) Her father, Robert Cassatt, was a wealthy investor.  Her mother, Katherine, had a deep knowledge of books, art and the French language.
     Mr Cassatt wanted his children to experience European education and culture. Mary and her family visited the Universal Exhibition. (33) She might also have seen the works of a revolutionary painter, Gustave Courbet. Courbet’s art was criticized for its realism.  So, he was not permitted to show his work in the exhibit. Instead, he created his own exhibit space nearby.
     During the 19th century in the United States, wealthy women usually did not have careers.  Women generally learned how to care for a house. (34)But Mary Cassatt was different. She believed that her training in art was much more than a fun activity. She saw art as her future. Her father did not approve of her decision to become an artist. But Mary did not let this stop her. She realized that to become a fully trained artist, she had to go to Europe to study. Travel was impossible during the four year American Civil War that began in 1861. So, it was not until 1866 that she returned to Paris.
     Cassatt worked hard copying the great paintings hanging in the Louvre museum.  She also studied with different teachers. In 1868, (35) one of Mary Cassatt’s paintings was accepted into the Paris Salon. This show was operated by the government-controlled French Academy of Fine Arts. Two years later, the Salon accepted another of her paintings. Her career as a successful artist had begun.