The Artist and His Father Hunting Reed-Birds on the Cohansey Marshes (Primary Title)
Thomas Eakins, American, 1844 - 1916 (Artist)
Eakins and his family frequented a hunting cottage outside Philadelphia near the confluence of the Cohansey and Delaware Rivers in southwestern New Jersey. Hunting in marshes requires intense cooperation between the pusher who guides the boat and spots the quarry and the hunter who shoots for the game; in this case the artist is shown expertly balancing the boat so that his father may shoot. This painting, proudly inscribed “BENJAMIN EAKINS FILIUS PINXIT” (painted by the son of Benjamin Eakins), expresses Eakins’s deep respect for his father, who shared his son’s love of sport and supported him during his early career. They remained extremely close until the elder Eakins died in 1899.
signed at lower right on bow of boat: "BENJAMINI EAKINS FILIUS PINXIT"
on back of panel: "Eakins"
Paul Mellon Collection
2018 - 2020: On loan to Chrysler Museum of Art, permanent galleries, April 3, 2018 - March 31, 2020
Wild Spaces, Open Seasons: Hunting and Fishing in American Art, Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis, Tennessee, October 23, 2016 - January 5, 2017; Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska, February 12 - Mat 7, 2016; Shelburne Museum, Vermont, June 4 - August 27, 2017; Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas, September 24 - December 17, 2017.
Manly Pursuits: The Sporting Images of Thomas Easkins, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, July 25 - October 23, 2010.
Thomas Eakins Rediscovered, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, September 26, 1991 - April 5, 1992.
Thomas Eakins, A Retrospective Exhibition, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, October 8 - November 12, 1961, and two additional venues.
Shooting and Fishing in Art, Baltimore Museum of Art, May - June, 1958.
A Loan Exhibition of the Works of Thomas Eakins, 1844-1916, Commemorating the Centennial of his Birth, M. Knoedler & Co. New York, June - July, 1944, and three additional venues (cat. no 7, illus.)..
Thomas Eakins Centennial Exhibition, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, April 8 - May 14, 1944.
Thomas Eakins, 1844-1916, A Retrospective of his Paintings, The Baltimore Museum of Art, December 1, 1936 - January 1, 1937 (cat. no. 6, cover illustration).
Memorial Exhibition of the Works of the Late Thomas Eakins, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, December 23, 1917 - January 13, 1918 (cat. no. 43, illus).
Loan Exhibition of the Works of Thomas Eakins, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, November 5 - December 3, 1917 (cat. no. 15, illus.)
Wild Spaces, Open Seasons: Hunting and Fishing in American Art, Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis, Tennessee, October 23, 2016 - January 5, 2017; Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska, February 12 - Mat 7, 2016; Shelburne Museum, Vermont, June 4 - August 27, 2017; Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas, September 24 - December 17, 2017.
Manly Pursuits: The Sporting Images of Thomas Easkins, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, July 25 - October 23, 2010.
Thomas Eakins Rediscovered, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, September 26, 1991 - April 5, 1992.
Thomas Eakins, A Retrospective Exhibition, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, October 8 - November 12, 1961, and two additional venues.
Shooting and Fishing in Art, Baltimore Museum of Art, May - June, 1958.
A Loan Exhibition of the Works of Thomas Eakins, 1844-1916, Commemorating the Centennial of his Birth, M. Knoedler & Co. New York, June - July, 1944, and three additional venues (cat. no 7, illus.)..
Thomas Eakins Centennial Exhibition, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, April 8 - May 14, 1944.
Thomas Eakins, 1844-1916, A Retrospective of his Paintings, The Baltimore Museum of Art, December 1, 1936 - January 1, 1937 (cat. no. 6, cover illustration).
Memorial Exhibition of the Works of the Late Thomas Eakins, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, December 23, 1917 - January 13, 1918 (cat. no. 43, illus).
Loan Exhibition of the Works of Thomas Eakins, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, November 5 - December 3, 1917 (cat. no. 15, illus.)
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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