Art Students' League of Philadelphia was a short-lived, co-operative art school formed in reaction to

Thomas Eakins Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins (; July 25, 1844 – June 25, 1916) was an American realist painter, photographer, sculptor, and fine arts educator. He is widely acknowledged to be one of the most important American artists. For the length ...

's February 1886 forced-resignation from the

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In early January 1886, Eakins, director of the art school at the

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Edward Hornor Coates Edward Hornor Coates (November 12, 1846 – December 23, 1921) was a Philadelphia businessman, financier, and patron of the arts and sciences. He served as a director of the Mechanics National Bank in 1873, was chairman of the Committee on ...

. But the incident ignited controversy, including charges that Eakins had cavorted nude with his students, had manipulated them into posing nude for him or for each other, had photographed them nude, and that he did not possess the moral character to be a teacher at PAFA. Over the next month, Eakins's brother-in-law and teaching assistant, Frank Stephens, became the most vituperative critic. Stephens accused Eakins of indecent behavior with his students and even incest with his deceased sister, Margaret. Stephens and his wife (Eakins's sister Caddy) were living with her father at 1729 Mount Vernon Street. Eakins had married Susan Macdowell in January 1884, and they were living in his studio at 1330 Chestnut Street. The surviving documentation contains no accusation of homosexual activity by Eakins. Although another brother-in-law, Will Crowell, raised the possibility that Stephens himself had engaged in homosexual activity, and suggested that the threat of exposure could be used to silence him, "if he is not stark mad." The incident and accusations against Eakins occurred at a time in which PAFA was facing financial challenges, and a new opportunity. PAFA had ended 1885 with a $6,000 deficit. In January 1886, the Estate of Joseph E. Temple proposed to contribute $25,000 toward establishing an endowment for the museum/school, with the condition that PAFA raise an additional $75,000 within three years.

Resignation

Coates wrote to Eakins on February 8, asking him to resign; Eakins submitted a one-sentence resignation the following day. Eakins continued to protest his innocence, and met with Coates on February 13. Coates presented the charges to PAFA's Board of Directors at a meeting that night, and the Board voted to accept Eakins's resignation. Eakins wrote to Coates on February 15: Sympathy for Eakins built in the press, with multiple calls for him to be reinstated. Five PAFA instructors — Frank Stephens, Charles Stephens (Frank's first cousin),

Colin Campbell Cooper Colin Campbell Cooper, Jr. (March 8, 1856 – November 6, 1937) was an American Impressionist painter, perhaps most renowned for his architectural paintings, especially of skyscrapers in New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago. An avid traveler, ...

, James P. Kelly, and

Thomas Anshutz Thomas Pollock Anshutz (October 5, 1851 – June 16, 1912) was an American painter and teacher. Known for his portraiture and genre scenes, Anshutz was a co-founder of The Darby School. One of Thomas Eakins's most prominent students, he succeede ...

— wrote a joint letter to PAFA's Board appealing to it to make "an official statement" that "Mr. Eakins' dismissal was due to the abuse of his authority and not to the malice of his personal or professional enemies." The Board declined to do so. (Technically, the Board had accepted Eakins's letter of resignation, not dismissed him.) Eakins continued to teach at PAFA into March, and tried to appeal his departure for more than a year, but to no avail. A more conservative curriculum was adopted at PAFA, and Anshutz, Kelly, and Charles Stephens were all promoted.

Philadelphia Sketch Club

Anshutz and both Stephenses took their accusations to the

Philadelphia Sketch Club The Philadelphia Sketch Club, founded on November 20, 1860, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is one of America's oldest artists' clubs. The club's own web page proclaims it ''the'' oldest. Prominent members have included Joseph Pennell, Thomas Eaki ...

: "We hereby charge Mr. Thom^s Eakins with conduct unworthy of a gentleman & discreditable to this organization & ask his expulsion from the club." A committee investigated, concluding that: "Eakins has used his position as an artist and his authority as a teacher to commit certain trespasses on common decency and good morals." His honorary membership in the club was revoked. A front-page story in ''The Philadelphia Evening Item'' was headlined: "The End of Eakins," and a subsequent story asked, "does anyone imagine he

akins Akins ( or ) is a Scottish surname and northern Irish family name. Origins Scotland The name has several possible origins, although it is generally considered to be a variant of '' Aikens'', which is considered to be a patronymic form of the n ...

will not sink into obscurity and leave the city?" Eakins's personal reputation was ruined, something from which he never totally recovered.

Protest

Fifty-five male PAFA students signed a February 15 petition threatening to withdraw from the school if Eakins was not reinstated. The female PAFA students also circulated a petition, that eighteen of the thirty signed. That evening, thirty-eight male students, led by George Reynolds, marched to Eakins's studio to show their support. Eakins had offered to teach them outside of PAFA, and they proposed forming their own school – The Art Students' League. But, " ce the renegades fully understood they would be forgoing an education in the most respected and best outfitted art school in the country for a one-room studio without electricity and plumbing, only sixteen of the fifty-five who had signed the petition made good on their pledge to withdraw from the academy." Those sixteen were: Albert W. Baker, Edward W. Boulton (ASL's second president), Charles Bregler, James J. Cinan, Charles Brinton Cox (ASL's first secretary), Eldon R. Crane, Alexander Duncan, Thomas J. Eagan, Charles F. Fewier, J. P. McQuaide, G. H. Merchant, Henry A. Nehmsmann, George Reynolds (ASL's first curator), Rudolph Spiel, James M. Wright, and

August Zeller August Zeller (7 March 1863, Bordentown, New Jersey – 11 January 1918, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) was an American sculptor and teacher. An exceptional carver, he studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) under Thomas Eakins. He ...

School

Temporary quarters at 1429 Market Street were secured, and "The League" held its first session on February 22, with about 30 students present. ASL's first president, H. T. Cresson, was quoted that day in a Philadelphia newspaper: " e young men who have formed the Art Students' League ... desire to study THE ENTIRE NUDE FIGURE, ''not because it affords them pleasure to look at it'', but because it is the only true way to obtain the necessary experience to represent a ''draped figure'' ..." Subsequent students, some of whom may have been there that first night, included Cresson, Maurice Feely, Charles H. Fromuth, Douglass M. Hall, Lilian G. Hammitt, Frank B. A. Linton,

Edwin George Lutz Edwin George Lutz (August 26, 1868 — March 30, 1951) was an American artist and author. As an illustrator, he contributed cartoons and human interest articles illustrated with his drawings to several magazines and newspapers. Under the name E.G ...

, Albert Oldach (ASL's third secretary), Edmond T. Quinn (ASL's third curator), Franklin L. Schenck (ASL's second curator), Amelia Van Buren, and Francis J. Ziegler (ASL's treasurer and second secretary).

Charles Grafly Charles Allan Grafly, Jr. (December 3, 1862May 5, 1929) was an American sculptor, and teacher. Instructor of Sculpture at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for 37 years, his students included Paul Manship, Albin Polasek, and Walker Hanc ...

, made the move to ASL, but returned to PAFA the following year, perhaps to be eligible for its traveling scholarships to Europe, one of which he won in 1888. Seventeen-year-old Samuel Murray enrolled in Fall 1886, and eventually became Eakins's assistant and protégé. Eakins set forth the school's purpose: "The Art Students' League of Philadelphia is an association formed for the study of painting and sculpture. The basis of study is the nude human figure." Tuition was initially set at $25, but it was raised to $40 for the 8-month 1886-87 season, and finally to $50. The school never had more than forty-one students, and sometimes had as few as twelve. "No antique or drawing classes were included; only painting and modelling from life. Eakins gave criticisms two mornings, one afternoon and one evening a week, delivered lectures on anatomy, perspective, and other subjects, and superintended the dissecting. For all this he refused to accept any salary during the years of the school's existence; indeed, he assisted some of the poorer students financially, often under the guise of paying them for posing for him." ASL's first location was outgrown in only two months, and later demolished for

Frank Furness Frank Heyling Furness (November 12, 1839 - June 27, 1912) was an American architect of the Victorian era. He designed more than 600 buildings, most in the Philadelphia area, and is remembered for his diverse, muscular, often unordinarily scaled b ...

's expansion of Broad Street Station. Its second location was at 1338 Chestnut Street (April 1886-May 1888), near Eakins's own studio. Its third location, 1816 Market Street (May 1888 – 1890), suffered a major fire, and its fourth and final location was at 12th & Filbert Street (1890–1893), above the Philadelphia Dental College. The enterprise prospered into the early 1890s, but lost passion as the students who had been personally involved in the battles moved on. Art critic Dorothy Grafly Drummond wrote that, “the little band was fighting for its own bread and butter, at best thinly sliced and even more thinly spread. With time, tradition proved more strong than the rebellion against it.” Eventually, the school could not attract enough paying students to cover expenses, and it was dissolved in early 1893.

Teaching elsewhere

Eakins taught elsewhere, concurrent with the Art Students' League of Philadelphia, and subsequent to it: Art Students' League of New York, 1885–1888;

Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (Cooper Union) is a private college at Cooper Square in New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-supported École Polytechnique in ...

in New York City, 1887–1897;

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the fin ...

in New York, 1888–1895; Art Students' League of Washington, D.C., 1893. Dismissed by Philadelphia's

Drexel Institute Drexel University is a private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a financier and philanthropist. Founded as Drexel Institute of Art, S ...

in March 1895 for again using a fully nude male model, Eakins gradually gave up teaching.

Bregler Collection

Much of what is known of the Art Students' League of Philadelphia comes from Charles Bregler, who was a student for the school's whole 7-year existence. He remained a lifelong friend to Eakins and his wife, and wrote two lengthy articles in the 1930s about Eakins's teaching methods. He preserved an enormous trove of Eakins papers, memorabilia, and minor works, although it was unavailable to scholars until the 1980s. The Bregler Collection was bought by the

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. File:Charles Grafly on a high wheel Circle of Eakins.jpg, ^{Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute.}
''Photograph of Charles Grafly on a High Wheel'' (1886). Grafly became a noted sculptor, and taught at PAFA from 1892 to his death in 1929. His works include the '' George Gordon Meade Memorial'' in Washington, D.C., and the ''Pioneer Mother Monument'' in San Francisco. File:The Veteran.png, ^{Yale University Art Gallery.}
''The Veteran: Portrait of George Reynolds'' (c.1886). Irish-born. Civil War veteran, recipient of the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

. Widower. Entered PAFA in 1882. The diver in ''Swimming''. First curator of ASL. Became an illustrator. Died NYC, 1891 (age 52). File:Sketch of Edward Boulton G230.jpg, ''Sketch of Edward Boulton'' (c.1887). Former businessman. Entered PAFA in 18xx. Second president of ASL. Posed for ''Cowboys in the Badlands''. Left ASL for Mexico. Eakins's oil portrait of Boulton was destroyed. File:Girl in a Big Hat - Portrait of Lillian Hammitt G234.jpg, ^{Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.}
''Girl in a Big Hat: Portrait of Lilian Hammitt'' (c.1888). From Alabama. Entered PAFA in 1883. ASL from 1886 to 1888. Fantasized about marrying Eakins. Committed to

Norristown State Hospital Norristown State Hospital, originally known as the ''State Lunatic Hospital at Norristown'', is an active state-funded psychiatric hospital located outside the city of Philadelphia in suburban Norristown, Pennsylvania. It was originally designed b ...

, 1892. Released 1894, she was found walking the streets in a bathing suit and claiming to be "Mrs. Thomas Eakins." Recommitted. File:Thomas Eakins - Portrait of Douglass Morgan Hall.jpg, ^{Philadelphia Museum of Art.}
''Portrait of Douglass M. Hall'' (c.1888). From Philadelphia. Entered PAFA in 1885. ASL from 1887 to about 1890. Never pursued a professional art career. Died insane at

Pennsylvania Hospital Pennsylvania Hospital is a private, non-profit, 515-bed teaching hospital located in Center City Philadelphia and is part of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. Founded on May 11, 1751, by Benjamin Franklin and Dr. Thomas Bond, Pennsylv ...

, 1912 (age 44), possibly from syphilis. File:Eakins, Samuel Murray 1889.jpg, ^{Mitchell Museum at Cedarhurst.}
''Portrait of Samuel Murray'' (1889). From Philadelphia. ASL from 1886 to 1893. Assistant professor at ASL, 1892. Eakins's protégé and lifelong friend. Instructor at

Philadelphia School of Design for Women Philadelphia School of Design for Women (1848–1932) was an art school for women in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Housed in the former Edwin Forrest House at 1346 North Broad Street, under the directorship of Emily Sartain (1886–1920), ...

, 1890-1941. Successful sculptor. Died Philadelphia, 1941 (age 72). File:The Bohemian - Portrait of Franklin Louis Schenck.png, ^{Philadelphia Museum of Art.}
''The Bohemian: Portrait of Franklin Louis Schenck'' (c.1890). ASL from c.1888 to 1893. Second curator of ASL. Featured in 7 Eakins paintings. Moved to Brooklyn after ASL's failure. Settled in Northport, Long Island, painting romantic landscapes. Died 1926 (age 71). File:Francis J Ziegler.jpg, ^{Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University.}
''The Critic: Portrait of Francis J. Ziegler'' (c.1890). Entered PAFA in 18xx. Treasurer of ASL. Became a journalist and art critic. Translated plays. Eakins never forgave him for filing a newspaper report on the Lilian Hammitt scandal. File:The-Art-Student-(or-Portrait-of-James-Wright)-large.jpg, ^{Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.}
''The Art Student: Portrait of James M. Wright'' (c.1890). Entered PAFA in 18xx. Moved to Brooklyn following ASL's failure. Became a businessman. File:Thomas Eakins 005.jpg, ^{The Phillips Collection.}
''Portrait of Amelia Van Buren'' (c.1891). From Detroit. Entered PAFA in 1884. Named in 1886 Eakins scandal (without her knowledge). Became a photographer. Died Tryon, NC, 1942 (age 86). File:William L. MacLean G276A.jpg, ^{Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University.}
''Sketch of William L. MacLean'' (c.1895). File:Eakins, Clara (Clara J Mather) c1900.jpg, ^{Musée d'Orsay.}
''Clara: Portrait of Clara Janney Mather'' (c.1900). Philadelphia Quaker. Left ASL after deaths of both parents. File:Eakins, Frank Linton 1904.jpg, ^{Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.}
''Portrait of Frank B. A. Linton'' (1904). Entered PAFA in 1885. ASL from 1888 to 1890. Studied at Ecole des Beaux-Arts under Gérôme and Bonnat. Became a successful portrait painter. Won a bronze medal at 1927 Paris Salon. One painting in

Musée du Luxembourg The Musée du Luxembourg () is a museum at 19 rue de Vaugirard in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. Established in 1750, it was initially an art museum located in the east wing of the Luxembourg Palace (the matching west wing housed the Marie de' ...

. Died Philadelphia, 1943 (age 72). File:Maurice Feely G431.jpg, ''Portrait of Maurice Feely'' (c.1905). Irish-born. ASL c.1890. Founded a sign-painting company, 1893. Portrait painter in Paris, France (after 1905), and Hollywood (1920s). Died Philadelphia, 1941 (age 80). Deaccessioned from Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, 2011. File:Portrait of Thomas Eagan.jpg, ^{Terra Collection, Art Institute of Chicago.}
''Portrait of Thomas J. Eagan'' (1907). Entered PAFA in 1885. Left ASL to become a draftsman and mechanical engineer. Settled in Conshohocken, PA. Returned to painting in retirement.McHenry, p. 70.

References

*Henry Adams, ''Eakins Revealed'' (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005). *Charles Bregler, "Thomas Eakins as a Teacher." ''The Arts'', vol. 17 (March 1931), pp. 376–86. *Charles Bregler, "Thomas Eakins as a Teacher, Second Article." ''The Arts'', vol. 18 (October 1931), pp. 27–42. *Susan Danly and Cheryl Leibold, et al., ''Eakins and the Photograph'' (PAFA, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1994). *Kathleen A. Foster, ''Thomas Eakins Rediscovered'' (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997). *Kathleen A. Foster and Cheryl Leibold, ''Writing About Eakins'' (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1989). *Lloyd Goodrich, ''Thomas Eakins, His Life and Work'' (New York: Whitney Museum of American Art, 1933). *Gordon Hendricks, ''The Life and Work of Thomas Eakins'' (New York: Grossman Publishers, 1974). *Sidney D. Kirkpatrick, ''The Revenge of Thomas Eakins'' (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006). *William S. McFeely, ''Portrait: The Life of Thomas Eakins'' (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2007). *Margaret McHenry, ''Thomas Eakins who painted'' (by the author, 1946). *Roland McKinney, ''Thomas Eakins'' (New York: Crown Publishers, 1942). *Phyllis D. Rosenzweig, ''The Thomas Eakins Collection of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden'' (Smithsonian Institution, 1977). *David Sellin, ''Thomas Eakins and His Fellow Artists at the Philadelphia Sketch Club'' (Philadelphia Sketch Club, 2001). *Theodor Siegl, ''The Thomas Eakins Collection'' (Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1978).

Notes

{{Authority control Art schools in Pennsylvania American artist groups and collectives Educational institutions established in 1886 Educational institutions disestablished in 1893 1886 establishments in Pennsylvania