The Writing Master by Thomas Eakins - The Master Calligrapher

The Writing Master

The Writing Master c1882 by American Painter Thomas Eakins (1844 – 1916), who was also photographer, sculptor and educator and considered one of Americas foremost artist.

This is a portrait that Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins did of his father, a master writer and calligrapher showing him as an aging craftsman sitting at his work table wearing a pair of glasses, engaged in the copying of a document in an old-fashioned Copperplate Script.

This is a retouched digital art old masters reproduction of a public domain image.

The Below Information Is Derived From Wikipedia.org

Thomas was born to Benjamin Eakins (1818 – 1899) a writing master and calligraphy teacher and Caroline Cowperthwait Eakins, in the American state of Philadelphia on July 25, 1844.

He was the eldest child of the couple and his full name was Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins, and by the age of 12 demonstrated skills in prices line drawing, perspective and the use of grid layout; most like from observing his father at work.

In 1861 Thomas attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and later attended the Jefferson Medical College for two years, where he took classes on anatomy and dissection.

Later he would follow in his fathers footsteps as a writing teacher; but his scientific interest in the human body would lead him into becoming a surgeon.

Then from 1866 to 1870 Thomas would move to France, where he studied with French Realist Painter Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824 – 1904) a master of Orientalism, French Realist Painter Léon Bonnat (1833 -1922), who emphasized anatomical preciseness; who’s methods he would adopt in his own paintings.

From this point on, and for the next 40 years Thomas would dedicate his career in creating exacting works of art from life; painting several hundred portraits of friends, family, and people of prominence in the arts, sciences, medicine and the clergy.