Mary Cassatt (1844–1926) considered herself “American, American through and through,” though she spent most of her life in France. Born into a wealthy Philadelphia family, Cassatt moved to Paris, befriended Edgar Degas, and became the only American to exhibit with the Impressionists. Her influence extended well beyond her own paintings. She encouraged wealthy American collectors, including the Havemeyers, to buy works by her French contemporaries, helping to build some of the country’s great museum collections. A fierce advocate for women’s independence and suffrage, she once declared, “I am independent! I can live alone and I love to work.” A century after her death, the Musée d’Orsay is staging a major retrospective, bringing together nearly 80 paintings, pastels, and prints, including works rarely seen outside the United States. —Elena Clavarino