Negro Boy Dancing, 1878
Thomas Eakins (American, 1844–1916)
Watercolor on off-white wove paper
Artist Biography
Technical Glossary
Thomas Eakins (American, 1844–1916)
Watercolor on off-white wove paper
18 1/16 x 22 9/16 in. (46 x 57.4 cm)
Fletcher Fund, 1925 (25.97.1)
This watercolor shows three male figures of different generations playing and responding to music. A framed copy of the famous photograph of Abraham Lincoln and his son Tad suggests the figures' familial relationships and emphasizes their emancipation. This watercolor gained Eakins his first award—a silver medal—at the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association exhibition in Boston in 1878.
