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Thomas Eakins: Championing American Realist Art

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Thomas Eakins: Championing American Realist Art
"The Champion Single Sculls (Max Schmitt in a Single Scull)," 1871, by Thomas Eakins. Oil on canvas; 32 1/4 inches by 46 1/4 inches. The Alfred N. Punnett Endowment Fund and George D. Pratt Gift, 1934. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Public Domain
Lorraine Ferrier
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It’s October 1870, and a fair-weather day on the Schuylkill River in Fairmont Park, Philadelphia. Four oarsmen line up on the river ready to race for the single-sculls championship in the Schuylkill Navy of Philadelphia’s annual regatta.

The Schuylkill Navy of Philadelphia (now the oldest amateur athletic body in America) represents rowing clubs in the city, and in this year, 1870, the finalists are all from the Pennsylvania Barge Club: Max Schmitt, Austin Street, James Lavens Jr., and Charles Brossman.

Lorraine Ferrier
Lorraine Ferrier
Author
Lorraine Ferrier writes about fine arts and craftsmanship for The Epoch Times. She focuses on artists and artisans, primarily in North America and Europe, who imbue their works with beauty and traditional values. She's especially interested in giving a voice to the rare and lesser-known arts and crafts, in the hope that we can preserve our traditional art heritage. She lives and writes in a London suburb, in England.
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