Sewing by the Hearth ca. 1884 by Thomas Pollack Anschutz (1851-1912), oil on canvas, 11″ x 17 1/4″, signed lower right.
Sewing By The Hearth is an excellent example of Anshutz’s signature genre scene. Bathed in a warm orange light from a fireplace just outside of the frame, a man rocks in his chair, engrossed by the sewing project in his lap. This domestic scene shows the simple pleasures of life at home, as Anshutz creates a moment of warmth in the quiet evening hours.
Medium: Oil on canvas
The Smithsonian American Art Museum aptly described Thomas Pollock Anshutz (1851-1912) as a “painter committed to direct observation.”
Born in Kentucky and raised in West Virginia, Anschutz studied at the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts and was a protege of Thomas Eakins. A highly influential teacher, Eakins inspired Anschutz to utilize photographs as reference during the painting process. Anschutz, however, was involved in his mentor’s eventual forced resignation, and would replace him as Professor of Painting and Drawing. Here, Anshutz taught many artists who would eventually develop the Ashcan School, such as William Glackens and Robert Henri, along with other prolific American artists, such as Maude Drein Bryant (see River Landscape) and Katharine Marie Barker. Anschutz became renowned for his genre studies, consistently showcasing depth and emotion through figural and dynamic scenes.
In 1898, he co-founded the Darby School, a summer art institute located just outside of Philadelphia that taught en plein air technique. Just two years before his death in 1912, Anshutz was chosen as an associate member of the National Academy of Design, both for his accomplishments in painting and in mentorship.
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