Loading

William Rush Carving His Allegorical Figure of the Schuylkill River

Thomas Eakins1876/1877

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia, United States

When Eakins exhibited this painting, first at the Boston Art Club in January 1878 and later that year at the Society of American Artists in New York, it created some controversy. A New York reviewer wrote: "What ruins the picture is much less the want of beauty in the model (as has been suggested in the public prints) than the presence in the foreground of the clothes of that young woman, cast carelessly over a chair. This gives the shock which makes one think about the nudity—and at once the picture becomes improper."

Show lessRead more
  • Title: William Rush Carving His Allegorical Figure of the Schuylkill River
  • Creator Lifespan: 1844/1916
  • Creator Nationality: American
  • Creator Gender: Male
  • Creator Death Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
  • Creator Birth Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
  • Date Created: 1876/1877
  • Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, Pennsylvania, United States
  • Physical Dimensions: w26.14 x h20.13 in (Overall)
  • Provenance: Gift of Mrs. Thomas Eakins and Miss Mary Adeline Williams, 1929
  • Type: Paintings
  • Rights: © 2014 Philadelphia Museum of Art. All rights reserved.
  • External Link: Philadelphia Museum of Art
  • Medium: Oil on canvas (mounted on Masonite)
  • Artist/Maker: Thomas Eakins, American, 1844 - 1916
Philadelphia Museum of Art

Get the app

Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more

Home
Discover
Play
Nearby
Favorites