Thomas Eakins (American, 1844–1916)
Portrait of Mary Adeline Williams
INV-3128
Thomas Eakins (American, 1844–1916)1899
Portrait of Mary Adeline Williams
Thomas Eakins (American, 1844–1916) →Realismpaintingamerican arts
Date
1899
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
61 × 50.8 cm (24 × 20 1/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Friends of American Art Collection
Thomas Eakins aimed to paint the human figure with uncompromising realism, executing likenesses that focus on introspection and psychological depth. A family friend, Mary Adeline Williams sat for this portrait in 1899, a year before she would move into the Philadelphia home of Eakins and his wife, artist Susan MacDowell Eakins. Although the composition presents Addie (as she was known) as straight-laced and severe, she was described by Susan Eakins as active and engaged—riding bicycles, going to art exhibitions, and socializing between the sittings for this work.
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