1000 Museums

American realist painter, photographer, sculptor, and watercolorist Thomas Eakins was born in Philadelphia on July 25th, 1844. From 1862-1866 Eakins attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts while also learning anatomy at Jefferson Medical School. In 1866 Eakins went to France, spending close to three years studying at the École des Beaux-Arts, working closely under artist Jean-Léon Gérôme. For American Art, Eakins was one of the key players in shifting the popularity of landscape toward figural subjects.