“Child with a Straw Hat” illustrates one of the recurring themes of Impressionist Mary Cassatt. Often painting sensitive interpretations of children at play and at rest, Cassatt (1844 – 1926) later focused on children wearing oversized hats. The little girls in these works wore elaborate bonnets and dresses, and appeared willing and happy to model. Uniquely different, “Child with a Straw Hat” depicts a girl wearing a plain outfit and a sulky expression that may imply her play was interrupted while she posed for this painting.