Susan Hannah Eakins ( Macdowell; September 21, 1851 – December 27, 1938) was an American painter and photographer. Her works were first shown at the

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and Private university, private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

, where she was a student. She won the

Mary Smith Prize The Mary Smith Prize (defunct) was a prestigious art prize awarded to women artists by the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. It recognized the best work by a Philadelphia woman artist at PAFA's annual exhibition — one that showed "the m ...

there in 1879 and the Charles Toppan prize in 1882. One of her teachers was the artist

Thomas Eakins Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins (; July 25, 1844 – June 25, 1916) was an American realist painter, photographer, sculptor, and fine arts educator. He is widely acknowledged to be one of the most important American artists. For the length ...

, who later became her husband. She made portrait and still life paintings. She was also known for her photography. After her husband died in 1916, Eakins became a prolific painter. Her works were exhibited in group exhibitions in her lifetime, though her first solo exhibition was held after she died.

Early life

She was the fifth of eight children of William H. Macdowell, a Philadelphia engraver and photographer, who also a skilled painter. He passed on to his three sons and five daughters his interest in

Thomas Paine Thomas Paine (born Thomas Pain; – In the contemporary record as noted by Conway, Paine's birth date is given as January 29, 1736–37. Common practice was to use a dash or a slash to separate the old-style year from the new-style year. In th ...

and

freethought Freethought (sometimes spelled free thought) is an epistemological viewpoint which holds that beliefs should not be formed on the basis of authority, tradition, revelation, or dogma, and that beliefs should instead be reached by other meth ...

. Both Susan and her sister,

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

, displayed early interest in art, which was encouraged by their father. Susan was given an attic studio for her artwork. Aside from her artistic talents, she was also a proficient pianist. File:Eakins H12.jpg, Thomas Eakins, ''Susan Hannah Macdowell, Unidentified Girl, Elizabeth Macdowell, and possibly Mary Macdowell at the Macdowell House'',

Education

She was 25 when she met

at the Hazeltine Gallery where his painting ''

The Gross Clinic ''The Gross Clinic'' or ''The Clinic of Dr. Gross'' is an 1875 painting by American artist Thomas Eakins. It is oil on canvas and measures by . The painting depicts Dr. Samuel D. Gross, a seventy-year-old professor dressed in a black frock coat ...

'' was being exhibited in 1876. It was also shown at the

Philadelphia Centennial Exposition The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair to be held in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the ...

. Unlike many, she was impressed by the controversial painting and she decided to study with him at the

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and Private university, private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

, which she attended for six years. At that time Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts was considered the best art school in the United States. Before she studied with Eakins, she studied with

Christian Schussele Christian Schussele (born 16 April 1824 in Guebwiller, Alsace – 20 August 1879 in Merchantville, New Jersey) was an American artist and teacher, and is credited with designing the American Medal of Honor. He studied under Adolphe Yvon and P ...

. Under Eakins, she adopted a style similar to her teacher's. She was the winner of the first

in 1879 for ''Portrait of a Gentleman and Dog''. Her sister, Elizabeth, studied at the academy beginning in 1876, too. Other female art students included

Mary Cassatt Mary Stevenson Cassatt (; May 22, 1844June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker. She was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh's North Side), but lived much of her adult life in France, where she befriended Edgar D ...

Cecilia Beaux Eliza Cecilia Beaux (May 1, 1855 – September 17, 1942) was an American society portraitist, whose subjects included First Lady Edith Roosevelt, Admiral Sir David Beatty and Georges Clemenceau. Trained in Philadelphia, she went on to study in ...

Emily Sartain Emily Sartain (March 17, 1841 – June 17, 1927) was an American painter and engraver. She was the first woman in Europe and the United States to practice the art of mezzotint engraving, and the only woman to win a gold medal at the 1876 World F ...

, and

Alice Barber Stephens Alice Barber Stephens (July 1, 1858 – July 13, 1932) was an American painter and engraver, best remembered for her illustrations. Her work regularly appeared in magazines such as ''Scribner's Monthly'', ''Harper's Weekly'', and '' The Ladies H ...

. They received a good education in art, but were restricted from painting nude male models. During her time as a student, she became class secretary, during which time she pulled for inclusion of women artists in the life-drawing classes of nude models.

Marriage

She married Eakins in 1884. As director of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Eakins had made the decision to use female and male nude models for the life studies classes for students of both genders. As a result of recriminations, he was asked to resign one year after their marriage. Even though he had support from some family and friends, it was a life-changing event that affected relationships in their lives and the Eakins' enthusiasm for life. Eakins spent most of her time supporting her husband’s career, entertaining guests and students, and faithfully backing him in his difficult times with the Academy, even when some members of her family aligned against Eakins. The couple had no children. File:Eakins, Susan MacDowell Eakins, 1899.jpg, Thomas Eakins, ''Portrait of Susan Macdowell Eakins'',

Hirshhorn Museum The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is an art museum beside the National Mall, in Washington, D.C., the United States. The museum was initially endowed during the 1960s with the permanent art collection of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. It was de ...

File:Susan Macdowell Eakins - Portrait of Thomas Eakins.jpg, Susan Macdowell Eakins, ''Portrait of Thomas Eakins'', posthumous, ,

Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMoA) is an art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at the northwest end of the Benjamin F ...

Career

Eakins painted portraits, many of which included family members, and scenes of domestic life. Between 1876 and 1882, Eakins exhibited her work at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. While she was married, Eakins only painted sporadically. Both had separate studios in their home. She shared a passion for photography with her husband, both as photographers and subjects, and employed it as a tool for their art. She also posed nude for many of his photos and took images of him. In 1898 she became a member and exhibited her works at the Philadelphia Photographic Salon, including ''Child with Doll'', one of her best photographs. She exhibited in 1905 at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Susan_MacDowell_Eakins_-_The_Three_Fates_-_1960

Susan_MacDowell_Eakins_-_The_Three_Fates_-_1960

Of her paintings, Thomas Eakins said of her that she was more adept with color than he and that she was "as good as a woman painter as he had ever seen."

Susan Casteras Susan Paulette Casteras is an American art historian, educator, and curator. Casteras is Professor of Art History Emeritus from the University of Washington. She is a specialist on British art, particularly Victorian art and Pre-Raphaelitism. ...

, art historian, said of her ''Portrait of a Lady'', made in 1880, that it showed her "firm handling and solid anatomical construction blended with generally dark tonalities." After Thomas Eakin's death in 1916, she returned to painting, working nearly every day, adding considerably to her output. Her paintings were made in a style that became warmer, looser, and brighter in tone. In 1936 her works and those of her husband and sister Elizabeth were exhibited at the

Philadelphia Art Club The Art Club of Philadelphia, often called the Philadelphia Art Club, was a club in Philadelphia, founded on February 7, 1887, to advance the arts.

. File:Susan Macdowell Eakins, Woman in a Plaid Shawl, 1872.Jpeg, ''Woman in a Plaid Shawl,'' 1872 File:Susan Macdowell Eakins, Gentleman and a Dog, 1878.jpg, ''Gentleman and a Dog,'' 1878,

Taubman Museum of Art The Taubman Museum of Art, formerly the Art Museum of Western Virginia, is an art museum in downtown Roanoke, Virginia, United States. It was designed by architect Randall Stout. History In 1947, the Roanoke chapter of the American Association ...

, Roanoke, Virginia File:Susan Macdowell Eakins, Still Life.jpg, ''Still Life''

Death

She died December 27, 1938 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after which her ashes were mixed with her husband's. The Eakins' ashes were buried in the

Woodlands Cemetery The Woodlands is a National Historic Landmark District on the west bank of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. It includes a Federal-style mansion, a matching carriage house and stable, and a garden landscape that in 1840 was transformed into a ...

in Philadelphia in an unmarked grave of her family's lot. A marker was installed in 1983 by an anonymous donor.

Legacy

It was not until 35 years after her death, in 1973, that she had her first major exhibition at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. In 1976, her work was included in the ''Nineteenth Century Women Artists'' exhibition at the

Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–194 ...

. In September and October 1977, an exhibition was held of the photographs and paintings of Susan, her sister Elizabeth and husband Thomas in Roanoke, Virginia at the

North Cross School North Cross School is an independent, coeducational, college-preparatory day school in Roanoke, Virginia for children from age three to twelfth grade. The school was founded in 1944 in Salem, Virginia. Accreditation North Cross is accredited b ...

Works

Her works included: * ''Alfred Reynolds,'' oil on artist board, 1880-1900 * ''Anguish,'' oil, 1916 * ''Anna Hyatt Caldwell,'' oil. Mrs. Caldwell was the wife of Joseph Ralston Caldwell and died in 1935 * ''Artist and Model,'' oil * ''Boy in Orange Shirt,'' oil * ''Chaperone,'' watercolor on paper, 1879 * ''Child's Head,'' oil * ''Clarence Cranmer,'' oil, 1920-1925 * ''Dancers,'' oil, * ''David Wilson Jordon,'' oil,

Palmer Museum of Art The Palmer Museum of Art is the art museum of Pennsylvania State University, located on the University Park campus in State College, Pennsylvania. Collections The museum has an increasing permanent collection of more than 7,000 works. The colle ...

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State becam ...

* ''Dora Adelman,'' oil, 1935 * ''Double Figure Study,'' oil * ''Dr. William N. Bradley,'' oil, 1934 * ''

Edward Coles Edward Coles (December 15, 1786 – July 7, 1868) was an American planter and politician, elected as the second Governor of Illinois (1822 to 1826). From an old Virginia family, Coles as a young man was a neighbor and associate of presidents ...

(1786-1868),'' oil, 1883,

Chicago Historical Society Chicago History Museum is the museum of the Chicago Historical Society (CHS). The CHS was founded in 1856 to study and interpret Chicago's history. The museum has been located in Lincoln Park since the 1930s at 1601 North Clark Street at the in ...

* ''Fruit and Flower Arrangement,'' oil, * ''Gentleman and Dog,'' oil, 1878,

, Roanoke, Virginia * ''Girl in Yellow Blouse (seated),'' oil on canvas * ''Girl in Yellow Blouse (standing),'' oil on canvas * ''Girl Reading,'' oil, * ''Girl Reading,'' oil, 1925-1930 * ''Girls Head from the Rear,'' oil, * ''Grandfather Macdowell,'' oil, 1879 * ''Hannah Macdowell and Sister,'' oil, 1882 * ''Hannah Trimble Gardner Macdowell,'' oil, 1880-1885 * ''Joanna Wnukowska Kowalewski,'' oil, 1933 * ''Kate Lewis,'' oil, 1884,

Allentown Art Museum The Allentown Art Museum of the Lehigh Valley is an art museum located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1934 by a group organized by noted Pennsylvania impressionist painter, Walter Emerson Baum. With its collection of over 19,000 w ...

* ''Landscape,'' oil * ''Lenore Adelman,'' oil, 1933 * ''Leroy Ireland,'' oil on canvas, 1910,

Brooklyn Museum of Art The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown H ...

* ''Lewis Sisters (at home),'' oil, 1932 * ''Luigi Maratti,'' oil on canvas, 1932 * ''Margaret Eakins,'' watercolor, * ''Mrs. King,'' watercolor, 1879 * ''Murray with Barry Statue,'' watercolor on paper * ''Music,'' oil on linen covered board, , Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts * ''Old Fashioned Dress,'' oil, 1880 * ''Old Man, Portrait Sketch,'' oil, * ''Paul Crenshaw Physick, MD,'' oil, University of Pennsylvania * ''Peonies,'' oil, 1925 * ''

Pierre Menard Pierre Menard (7 October 1766 – 13 June 1844) was a fur trader and U.S. political figure. Pierre Menard was born at St. Antoine-sur-Richelieu, near Montreal, Canada, third in a family of ten children. His father was Jean Baptiste Ménard, ...

, 1766 - 1844,'' oil on canvas, Chicago History Museum * ''Portrait of a Bearded Man,'' oil, 1932, Kennedy Galleries, New York, New York * ''Portrait of a Lady,'' oil, 1880 * ''Portrait of a Man,'' oil, 1920-1930 * ''Portrait of a Philadelphia Lady,'' 1890s * ''Portrait of a Soldier,'' oil, 1917 * ''Portrait of a Woman,'' oil, * ''Portrait of Charles Bregler,'' oil on canvas, 1920s, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts * ''Portrait of David Wilson Jordan,'' oil, Palmer Museum of Art, Pennsylvania State University *
Portrait of Thomas Eakins
s,'' oil, ,

* ''Reflections,'' oil, 1881 * ''Roseanna Williams,'' oil on wood panel, 1879, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts * ''Roseanna Williams,'' watercolor, 1879 * ''Sculptor and Model,'' oil, 1924 * ''Seated Girl in Tunic,'' oil, 1920-1930 * ''Seated Old Woman Reading,'' oil * ''Spinning,'' watercolor, * ''Still Life,'' oil, * ''Still Life: Dish, Vegetable and Fruit,'' oil * ''Study of Cello Player,'' oil, * ''Study of a Man'' * ''Study of Susan,'' oil *
Susan and Elizabeth Macdowell (self-portrait)
'' oil, 1879 * ''Susan and Elizabeth Macdowell (self-portrait),'' oil, 1910-1920 * ''Susan and Elizabeth Macdowell (self-portrait),'' oil, 1925 * ''Susan Hannah Macdowell Eakins (self-portrait as a child),'' oil, after 1861 * ''Susan Hannah Macdowell Eakins (self-portrait),'' oil, , private collection * ''Tennis Player,'' oil, 1933 * ''The Bibliophile,'' oil, 1932 * ''The Spinners (Three Fates)'', oil on masonite * '' Thomas Cadwalader, 1795 - 1873,'' oil, 1882 * ''Thomas Cowperthwaite Eakins,'' oil, * ''Thomas Eakins Working at an Easel,'' oil on board, early to mid 1880s, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts * ''Two Ladies and Dog,'' oil, * ''Two Sisters,'' oil on canvas, 1879 * ''Unidentified Girl,'' oil, * ''Unidentified Man,'' oil, 1880-1900 * ''Unidentified Woman,'' oil * ''Walter Gardner Macdowell,'' oil, 1880-1930 * ''Watchful Guardian,'' oil, 1878 * ''William H. Macdowell, Portrait Sketch'' oil, 1880-1881 * ''William H. Macdowell,'' oil, 1881 * ''William Pepper (1810-1864)'' oil, 1883, University of Pennsylvania * ''Woman in a Plain Shawl,'' oil on canvas, * ''Woman in Profile,'' oil, * ''

Woman Reading ''Woman Reading'' (''La Liseuse'') is an oil-on-board painting executed in 1895 by the French artist Henri Matisse.Klein, John (2001). ''Matisse Portraits''. Yale University press. p. 38. . It is displayed at the Musée Matisse, in Le Cateau-C ...

,'' oil on canvas, 1879-1884 * ''Woman Seated,'' oil, 1880, was in the collection of Mr. and Mrs.

John D. Rockefeller III John Davison Rockefeller III (March 21, 1906 – July 10, 1978) was an American philanthropist. Rockefeller was the eldest son and second child of John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller as well as a grandson of Standard Oil co-founde ...

* ''Woman with Book,'' oil

References

External links

''Susan Macdowell Eakins'', Traditional Fine Arts Organization

Artwork by Susan Macdowell Eakins in the Bryn Mawr College Art and Artifacts Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eakins, Susan Macdowell 1851 births 1938 deaths Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts alumni Artists from Philadelphia American women painters 19th-century American painters 20th-century American painters People associated with the Philadelphia Museum of Art Burials at The Woodlands Cemetery Students of Thomas Eakins 19th-century American women photographers 19th-century American photographers 20th-century American women photographers 20th-century American photographers Painters from Pennsylvania Photographers from Pennsylvania