One of the most famous female American artists, Mary Cassatt, focused extensively on maternity in her work. She was born in the United States but spent the majority of her life in Paris. While abroad, the French impressionists influenced Cassatt and she eventually became one of the great American impressionists.
Cassatt and her artwork have been featured on many US stamps, including in 2003 when the Postal Service produced four reproductions of her work. Terrance McCaffrey, the manager of USPS stamp development at the time, spoke about the Cassatt stamps. “The committee wanted…to develop a series of attractive colorful images that people would be prone to use on their mail.” Derry Noyes, the designer of the stamps, commented on the themes of Cassatt’s work. She stated, “The subject matter, women and children, they just worked so well together.”
