Women Impressionists and the Land

This is the first book to focus on landscape and nature imagery in the work of the women Impressionists. Rather than concentrating on the domestic subject matter of these artists, which has been widely discussed, this book explores the less-documented outdoor spaces that were painted by the key women in the group, particularly Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt, Marie Bracquemond, and Blanche Hoschedé-Monet.

The book examines how landscape imagery contributed to the rise in status of women artists in France between 1860 and 1910. It considers a range of works, focusing especially on the work of Morisot, who trained as a landscape painter and saw landscape imagery as a central part of her practice. The book examines favoured iconographical themes, such as the painting of marine and agricultural scenes, and parks and gardens. Central is imagery of a domesticated nature, such as Morisot’s paintings of the Bois de Boulogne, Bracquemond’s pictures at Sèvres, and Cassatt’s views at the Château de Beaufresne after 1894.

Exhibition Schedule: Saint Louis Art Museum (17 October 2026–10 January 2027)