Mary Cassatt was an American impressionist painter who depicted the lives of women, chiefly the intimate bond between mother and child. At the beginning of the 20th century, she had achieved widespread fame for her paintings. Cassatt was the only American to exhibit with the Impressionists. Her works, which were painted into a purely Impressionist style, met with great acclaim, established her reputation as an Impressionist, and consequently, were the foundation for her long and distinguished career. Edgar Degas and Cassatt were close friends and artistic allies whose shared stylistic concerns lead to mutual explorations of light, color and form. While both artists depicted scenes of modern life, they differed in their portrayal of women. Mary Cassatt was focused primarily on mother and child theme, which she treated with warmth and naturalness in paintings, pastels, and prints.