Art Students' League of Philadelphia
Encyclopedia
Art Students' League of Philadelphia was a short-lived, co-operative art school formed in reaction to Thomas Eakins
's February 1886 forced-resignation from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
. Eakins taught without pay at ASL from 1886 until the school's dissolution in early 1893.
In early January 1886, Eakins, director of the art school at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
, had a male model remove his loincloth during an anatomy lecture in front of either an all-female or a mixed male-and-female class of students. This was contrary to PAFA policy, and he was reprimanded by Director of Education Edward Hornor Coates
in a January 11 letter. 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 Frank Stephens became the most vituperative critic, accusing him 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 Mt. Vernon Street, under the same roof with Eakins and his wife Susan
. Interestingly, 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."
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
, James P. Kelly, and Thomas Anshutz — 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, Eakins had resigned, not been dismissed.) A more conservative curriculum was adopted at PAFA, and Anshutz, Kelly, and Charles Stephens were all promoted.
: "We hereby charge Mr. Thoms 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 tresspasses on common decency and good morals." His honorary membership in the club was revoked.
Eakins's personal reputation was ruined, something from which he never totally recovered.
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.
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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:
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
, 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). Seventeen-year-old Samuel Murray
enrolled in Fall 1886, and eventually became Eakins's assistant and protégé.
Eakins set forth its principles:
Tuition was initially set at $25, but it was raised to $40 for the 8-month 1886-87 season, and finally $50. The school never had more than forty-one students, and sometimes had as few as twelve.
Its first location was outgrown in only two months, and later demolished for Frank Furness
'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 46 N. 12th Street (1890-1893).
It prospered until the early 1890s, but lost passion as the older students who had been personally involved in the battles moved on. Eventually, the school could not attract enough paying students to cover expenses, and it was dissolved in early 1893.
in New York City, 1887-1897; National Academy of Design
in New York, 1888-1895; Art Students' League of Washington, DC, 1893. Dismissed in March 1895 by the Drexel Institute
in Philadelphia for again using a fully nude male model, he gradually gave up teaching.
in 1985.
Bregler Collection papers have changed the general perception of Eakins's departure from PAFA. It is now seen as less of a case of Victorian authority (PAFA's Board) persecuting a heroic iconoclast (Eakins), and more as a conspiracy by his colleagues and personal enemies to engineer his ouster from PAFA and deliberately ruin his reputation.
Thomas Eakins
Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins was an American realist painter, photographer, sculptor, and fine arts educator...
's February 1886 forced-resignation from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a museum and art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest art museum and school in the United States. The academy's museum is internationally known for its collections of 19th and 20th century American paintings,...
. Eakins taught without pay at ASL from 1886 until the school's dissolution in early 1893.
Loincloth incident
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a museum and art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest art museum and school in the United States. The academy's museum is internationally known for its collections of 19th and 20th century American paintings,...
, had a male model remove his loincloth during an anatomy lecture in front of either an all-female or a mixed male-and-female class of students. This was contrary to PAFA policy, and he was reprimanded by Director of Education Edward Hornor Coates
Edward Hornor Coates
Edward Hornor Coates was a Philadelphia businessman, financier, and patron of the arts and sciences...
in a January 11 letter. 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 Frank Stephens became the most vituperative critic, accusing him 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 Mt. Vernon Street, under the same roof with Eakins and his wife Susan
Susan Macdowell Eakins
Susan Hannah Macdowell Eakins was an American artist and wife of Thomas Eakins. She was the fifth of eight children of a Philadelphia engraver, well known in the artistic community...
. Interestingly, 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."
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 continued to teach at PAFA into March, and tried to appeal his departure for more than a year, but to no avail.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
Colin Campbell Cooper, Jr. 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, he was also known for his paintings of European and Asian landmarks, as well as natural...
, James P. Kelly, and Thomas Anshutz — 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, Eakins had resigned, not been dismissed.) 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 ClubPhiladelphia 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 Eakins, Howard Chandler Christy, and N.C...
: "We hereby charge Mr. Thoms 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 tresspasses on common decency and good morals." His honorary membership in the club was revoked.
Eakins's personal reputation was ruined, something from which he never totally recovered.
Protest
Fifty-five men PAFA students signed a February 15 petition threatening to withdraw from the school if Eakins was not reinstated. The women students also circulated a petition, reportedly that all but a dozen signed. That evening, thirty-eight men students, led by George Reynolds, marched to Eakins's studio at 1330 Chestnut Street 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, "[o]nce 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.
School
"[T]he 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
Frank B. A. Linton
Frank Benton Ashley Linton was an American portrait-painter and teacher. He was an instructor at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
, Albert Oldach (ASL's third secretary), Edmond T. Quinn
Edmond Thomas Quinn
Edmond Thomas Quinn was an American sculptor and painter. He is best known for his bronze of Edwin Booth as Hamlet, which stands at the center of Gramercy Park in New York City...
(ASL's third curator), Franklin L. Schenck (ASL's second curator), Amelia Van Buren
Amelia Van Buren
Amelia C. Van Buren was an American photographer who was best known for being the subject of Thomas Eakins's c. 1891 painting Miss Amelia Van Buren.-Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts:...
, and Francis J. Ziegler (ASL's treasurer and second secretary). Seventeen-year-old Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray
Samuel Aloysius Murray was an American sculptor, and protégé of the painter Thomas Eakins.-Murray and Eakins:...
enrolled in Fall 1886, and eventually became Eakins's assistant and protégé.
Eakins set forth its principles:
"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 $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."
Its first location was outgrown in only two months, and later demolished for Frank Furness
Frank Furness
Frank Heyling Furness was an acclaimed American architect of the Victorian era. He designed more than 600 buildings, most in the Philadelphia area, and is remembered for his eclectic, muscular, often idiosyncratically scaled buildings, and for his influence on the Chicago architect Louis Sullivan...
's expansion of Broad Street Station
Broad Street Station (Philadelphia)
Broad Street Station at Broad & Market Streets was the primary passenger terminal for the Pennsylvania Railroad in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1881 to the 1950s...
. 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 46 N. 12th Street (1890-1893).
It prospered until the early 1890s, but lost passion as the older students who had been personally involved in the battles moved on. 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 UnionCooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place...
in New York City, 1887-1897; National Academy of Design
National Academy of Design
The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, founded in New York City as the National Academy of Design – known simply as the "National Academy" – is an honorary association of American artists founded in 1825 by Samuel F. B. Morse, Asher B. Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E...
in New York, 1888-1895; Art Students' League of Washington, DC, 1893. Dismissed in March 1895 by the Drexel Institute
Drexel University
Drexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...
in Philadelphia for again using a fully nude male model, he 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 life-long 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 ArtsPennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a museum and art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest art museum and school in the United States. The academy's museum is internationally known for its collections of 19th and 20th century American paintings,...
in 1985.
Bregler Collection papers have changed the general perception of Eakins's departure from PAFA. It is now seen as less of a case of Victorian authority (PAFA's Board) persecuting a heroic iconoclast (Eakins), and more as a conspiracy by his colleagues and personal enemies to engineer his ouster from PAFA and deliberately ruin his reputation.