Susan Macdowell Eakins
| Susan Macdowell Eakins | |
|---|---|
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Thomas Eakins, The Artist's Wife and His Dog (1884-89), depicts Susan Macdowell Eakins and their dog Harry. |
|
| Born |
Susan Hannah Macdowell September 21, 1851 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | December 27, 1938 (aged 87) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Resting place |
Woodlands Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 39°56′51.27″N 75°12′3.98″W / 39.9475750°N 75.2011056°WCoordinates: 39°56′51.27″N 75°12′3.98″W / 39.9475750°N 75.2011056°W |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Thomas Eakins |
| Known for | Painter |
| Spouse(s) | Thomas Eakins |
| Awards | Mary Smith Prize in 1879 and Charles Toppan prize in 1882 from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. |
Susan Hannah Macdowell Eakins (September 21, 1851 – December 27, 1938) was an American painter and photographer. Her works were first shown at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where she was a student. She won the Mary Smith Prize there in 1879 and Charles Toppan prize in 1882. One of her teachers was artist Thomas Eakins, who later became her husband. She made portrait and still life paintings. She was also known of her photography. After her husband died in 1916, Eakins became a prolific painter. Her works were exhibited in group exhibitions in her lifetime, but her first solo exhibition was held after she died.
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 3 sons and 5 daughters his interest in Thomas Paine and freethought. Both Susan and her sister Elizabeth 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.
Thomas Eakins, Susan Hannah Macdowell, Unidentified Girl, Elizabeth Macdowell, and possibly Mary Macdowell at the Macdowell House, c. 1880-1882
She was 25 when she met Eakins at the Hazeltine Gallery where his painting The Gross Clinic was being exhibited in 1876. It was also shown at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. Unlike many, she was impressed by the controversial painting and she decided to study with him at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, which she attended for six years. At that time Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts was considered the best art school in the United States. Before she studied with Eakins, she studied with Christian Schussele. Under Eakins, she adopted a sober, realistic style similar to her teacher's. She was an outstanding student and winner of the Mary Smith prize for the best painting by a matriculating woman artist. Her sister, Elizabeth, studied at the academy beginning in 1876, too. Other female art students were Mary Cassatt, Cecilia Beaux, Emily Sartain, and Alice Barber Stephens. They received a good education in art, but were restricted from painting live 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.
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