Born in America to a wealthy Pennsylvania family, Mary Cassatt moved to Paris as a student, swiftly finding success at the Paris Salon. An introduction to artist Edgar Degas changed the direction of her own art and she became one of several women associated with the Impressionist movement. She lived the majority of her life in France, becoming well known for her fine draftsmanship, vivid palette, and a lack of sentimentality, and is considered one of the original French Impressionists.