Elsie Foster Cassatt
Elizabeth "Elsie" Foster Cassatt Stewart 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. Her older brother was soldier and horse breeder Edward B. Cassatt. Her mother's uncle was United States president James Buchanan. Her father's sister was the painter Mary Cassatt. 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 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, 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.