Portrait of Lucy Lewis

Currently not on view

Portrait of Lucy Lewis

1896

Thomas Eakins (American, 1844–1916)

Thomas Eakins, famous for the brutal honesty of his portraits, made an exception for Lucy Lewis, who stands as an exemplar of late nineteenth-century feminine beauty. Despite this anomaly, Lewis is typical of Eakins's sitters in other ways. She was well educated, middle class, and active as a teacher and a social advocate. When Eakins painted her portrait in 1896, Lewis was teaching at the Girls' Normal School in Philadelphia. She later served on the Board of Directors of the Starr Centre Association of Philadelphia, a social agency that provided services to Philadelphia's poorest communities.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Portrait of Lucy Lewis

Date:

1896

Artist:

Thomas Eakins (American, 1844–1916)

Medium:

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

22 x 27 1/8 inches (55.9 x 68.9 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

125th Anniversary Acquisition. Gift of the McNeil Americana Collection, 2007

Accession Number:

2007-65-4

Geography:

Made in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America

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Currently not on view