60-foot mural by Mary Cassatt vanished after 1893 World's Fair

Mary Cassatt’s monumental mural, 'Modern Woman,' has not been publicly seen since 1912. The 60-foot long and 14-foot high three-panel work was created for the Woman's Building at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. It has remained missing for more than a century.

The Art Institute of Chicago is currently hosting a fall exhibition centered on this specific loss. The show details the creation and history of the piece, which was commissioned for a structure led by philanthropist Bertha Palmer. The Woman's Building featured exhibits on women's patents, innovations, and contributions to culture, a distinction noted by Stanford University professor emeritus Wanda Corn.

Cassatt, an American painter residing in Paris, produced the large-scale work to hang in the building's main hall. A companion mural titled 'Primitive Woman' by Mary MacMonnies was displayed in the same space. These massive commissions represented a rare opportunity for women artists in the late 19th century. Cassatt's scenes depicted well-dressed women pursuing fame, playing music, and tending an orchard.

The central panel of the mural showed women harvesting fruits, a metaphor for the acquisition of knowledge and science. Art historian Wanda Corn stated that the work illustrated the potential for women to become educated, serve as artists, and seek public recognition. The project was a major physical undertaking that helped establish Cassatt's reputation in the United States.

After the fair concluded, the Woman's Building was dismantled like most other structures on the site. The murals and other artworks were placed in storage. Curator Annelise Madsen identified the last known location of the Cassatt mural as the Palmer family's Gold Coast mansion. That residence, located on Lake Shore Drive, was once the largest private home in the city before its demolition in 1950.

The paper trail for the artwork ends abruptly in 1912. At that time, the director of the Art Institute wrote a letter inquiring about unrolling the mural for a temporary display. Madsen confirmed that this correspondence is held in the museum's archives. The inquiry never resulted in the piece being brought back into view.

Speculation regarding the mural's fate includes damage from water or fire. However, experts believe the work is likely lost forever. Wanda Corn said that many researchers have investigated the matter and concluded that the piece is gone. She does not expect it to reappear.

The loss of 'Modern Woman' marks a key moment in the history of large-scale painting by women. Corn noted that looking for examples of women doing large paintings often begins in 1893. The era saw other artists step up to take on larger commissions, a trajectory that started with the work Cassatt produced for the fair.