Elizabeth "Elsie" Foster Cassatt Stewart (August 14, 1875 – May 31, 1931) was an American sportswoman and socialite.

Early life

Cassatt was born in Pennsylvania, the daughter of Alexander Cassatt and Lois Buchanan Cassatt. Her father was president of the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

. Her older brother was soldier and horse breeder

Edward B. Cassatt Colonel Edward Buchanan Cassatt (August 23, 1869 – January 31, 1922) was an American soldier and an owner/breeder of Thoroughbred racehorses. He was the son of Alexander Cassatt, president of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and Lois Buchanan, niece ...

. Her mother's uncle was United States president

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician who served as the 15th president of the United States from 1857 to 1861. He previously served as secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and repr ...

. Her father's sister was the painter

Mary Cassatt Mary Stevenson Cassatt (; May 22, 1844June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker. She was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh's North Side), but lived much of her adult life in France, where she befriended Edgar De ...

. As a child, Elsie visited her aunt in France, and was the subject of some of Mary Cassatt's portraits, including "Katherine Cassatt Reading to her Grandchildren", "Elsie in a Blue Chair" and "Elsie Cassatt Holding a Big Dog".

Career

Cassatt was described as "a young woman whose every curve speaks of her athletic training and fine physical condition... a modern Diana: she rides, swims, shoots, and plays tennis." She was also known as a cricketer and a serious golfer before she married. She played in the

U.S. Women's Amateur The U.S. Women's Amateur is the leading golf tournament in the United States for female amateur golfers. It is played annually and is one of the 13 United States national golf championships organized by the United States Golf Association (USGA). F ...

in 1899 and in 1901, and was considered one of the top American women golfers of her day. She was a member of the

Merion Cricket Club Merion Cricket Club is a private club in Haverford, Pennsylvania, founded in 1865. The current clubhouse is its sixth, the last four having been designed by Philadelphia architect Frank Furness and his partner, Allen Evans, who was also a founder ...

, with her sister Katherine, in 1900. She loaned some of Mary Cassatt's paintings to a major exhibit held at the Pennsylvania Museum in 1927, curated by

Louisine Havemeyer Louisine Waldron Elder Havemeyer (July 28, 1855 – January 6, 1929) was an art collector, feminist, and philanthropist. In addition to being a patron of impressionist art, she was one of the more prominent contributors to the suffrage movemen ...

Personal life

Elsie Cassatt married stockbroker W. Plunket Stewart in 1902, and divorced him in 1930; he soon remarried. Her husband was a noted breeder of hunting dogs. Their daughters were Katherine, Doris, and Elsie; their only son, Alexander, died in 1912. She died in New York in 1931, aged 55 years. Her gravesite is in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Her daughter Katherine Kelso Stewart married

Eric Vicomte de Spoelberch Éric Antoine Ghislain Joseph, Viscount de Spoelberch (15 February 1903 – 17 January 1939) was a Belgian pilot. He was born in Brussels and died in Nivelles. Family He was son of Guillaume de Spoelberch (1874–1947) and Colienne de Neufforge ...

, a Belgian pilot and athlete, in 1932. The Elsie Cassatt Stewart Memorial Children's Fund was established at the

Jefferson Medical College Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. To signify its heritage, the univer ...

Hospital and Medical Center in Philadelphia.

In popular culture

Cassatt was a character in the television film ''Mary Cassatt: An American Impressionist'' (1999), portrayed by Canadian actress

Emma Taylor-Isherwood Emma-Rose Taylor-Isherwood (born April 27, 1987Carleton University >> Graduating Class of Spring 2009. URL accessed on November 3, 2009. After graduating from the Arts Canterbury Theatre program Taylor-Isherwood continued performing while attend ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cassatt, Elsie Foster American female golfers Amateur golfers Golfers from Pennsylvania 1875 births 1931 deaths