Born July 25, 1844
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Died June 25, 1916
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Painter

Self-portrait of Thomas Eakins. Photograph by Al Fenn/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images.

"Respectability in art is appalling."

A traveling exhibit of the major paintings of Thomas Eakins in 2001 attracted large crowds and strong critical praise. It was far different for Eakins during his lifetime as an artist working in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from the Reconstruction era (1865–77) to the early twentieth century. He sold a little over two dozen paintings and his work received a mild amount of attention during his lifetime. In modern times, however, he is regarded as the classic American painter of the Realist style. "Eakins's art was a monumental achievement," wrote art critic Hilton Kramer in 2001. "He was the first major painter of his period to accept completely the realities of contemporary American life and to create out of them a strong and profound...