Portrait of Mary Adeline Williams

1899

Thomas Eakins first met Mary Adeline Williams when she was a childhood playmate of his sister. Later, the unmarried Williams lived with Eakins and his wife, Susan. Although Eakins’s portrait presents Addie as straight-laced and severe, this is in marked contrast with the active woman Susan Eakins described in her diary, who rode bicycles, went to art exhibitions, and socialized between sittings for the painting.

Public domain · CC0
Free to download and reuse. Image courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago.

Artist

Thomas Eakins (American, 1844–1916)

Date

1899

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

61 × 50.8 cm (24 × 20 1/16 in.)

Origin

Philadelphia

Collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Credit

Friends of American Art Collection