Study of Nude Figure
Classification
figures
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Accession Number
1914-38-87
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Study of Nude Figure by Francis Augustus Lath (American, 1849–1909) invites us into the intimate world of an artist's preparatory work from 1893–94. Lathrop, a versatile figure in American art, trained in Europe under Pre-Raphaelite influences returning to contribute to the nation's burgeoning decorative arts scene. This piece, classified as a figure study and held in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's, reflects the academic rigor of late 19th-century ateliers, where artists honed anatomical precision through repeated observations of the human form. As a "study," it likely served as a fo...