This month, Mary Cassatt's 1878 impressionist painting Portrait of a Young Girl or Little Girl in a Blue Armchair donned my homepage. Here she is again. I might feature a different painting each month, and we can discuss them.

This particular painting struck me when reading about modern art a few years back. I remember waiting for my mom a lot, as the little girl seems to be doing. It looks like her mother brought her for a visit to someone's home, where there are no other children and where, after her dolled up hellos, she's been forgotten about. The little doggy lives there. He's had his share of attention, too, from the visitors, when they arrived so long ago, and is doing what he'd normally do, but with company this time. The little girl looks bored and sleepy. There isn't much there for her (besides the dog and making a cute impression). Her hopes of going out for some fun with her mom have been realized as her mom's hopes and not her own. If she's even near enough to her mother to hear her--the home is nicely furnished and probably large--she couldn't care less about what the adults find so important.

I'd love to hear your thoughts! :)