Baby at Play
1876
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 81.9 x 122.8 cm (32 1/4 x 48 3/8 in.) framed: 106.7 x 147.3 cm (42 x 58 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CAB
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
John Hay Whitney Collection
Accession Number
1982.76.5
Art Historical Context
**Baby at Play**, painted by Thomas Eakins in 1876, is a captivating oil on canvas measuring 81.9 x 122.8 cm, now housed in the National Gallery of Art as part of the John Hay Whitney Collection. This sizable work invites viewers into a intimate domestic scene, evoking the simple joys of childhood through Eakins' masterful realism. Oil on canvas allowed the artist to layer rich textures and subtle light effects, bringing everyday moments to life with remarkable clarity. Thomas Eakins, a pioneering American realist active in Philadelphia, rejected idealized European traditions in favor of unfl...
About the Artist
Thomas Eakins · 1844–1916
Thomas Eakins (1844-1916) was an American painter, photographer, and educator who carried 19th-century American Realism to its highest achievement. Based in Philadelphia throughout his life, he created uncompromising portraits and genre scenes that depicted American life with a scientific precision and psychological depth unprecedented in his time. Born into an educated Philadelphia family, Eakin...