Pushing for Rail
Eakins enjoyed hunting waterfowl with his father and friends in the tidal marshes of New Jersey’s Delaware River. In 1873 his expeditions resulted in a series of works, including this painting. Hunting for rail—small game birds that populate marshes—is possible only at high tide, when the "pusher" can propel the flat-bottomed boat through the thick reeds. Here, three pairs of sportsmen are shown in a frieze-like composition with nearly microscopic detail. Eakins depicted them in the successive phases of the hunt: loading the gun; steadying the boat and waiting; and taking aim.
Artwork Details
- Title: Pushing for Rail
- Artist: Thomas Eakins (American, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1844–1916 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- Date: 1874
- Culture: American
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 13 x 30 1/16 in. (33 x 76.4 cm)
- Credit Line: Arthur Hoppock Hearn Fund, 1916
- Object Number: 16.65
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
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