Portrait of Mary Adeline Williams
1899
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
61 × 50.8 cm (24 × 20 1/16 in.)
Classification
painting
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
31285
Art Historical Context
Thomas Eakins' *Portrait of Mary Adeline Williams* (1899) captures the quiet dignity of its sitter in a masterful oil-on-canvas work, measuring 24 × 20 inches. Painted late in Eakins' career, this intimate portrait reflects the American artist's commitment to realism during a time when impressionism was gaining favor. As a pioneering figure in late 19th-century American art, Eakins drew from his scientific background—studying anatomy in Paris and Philadelphia—to render subjects with unflinching accuracy and psychological depth, often prioritizing truth over flattery. Eakins employed his signa...
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...