Artwork
Pushing for Rail
Pushing for Rail is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Thomas Eakins. It dates from 1874 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
By focusing on these specific elements, the hunter, the weapon, and the prey, the work serves as a literal representation of the sport of hunting.
Created in 1874, Thomas Eakins's Pushing for Rail is a genre scene that visually documents the act of hunting. The composition features a male figure actively engaged with a firearm, directing his attention toward a bird. By focusing on these specific elements, the hunter, the weapon, and the prey, the work serves as a literal representation of the sport of hunting.
The available records identify the subject matter strictly through these depicted components, categorizing the piece as a study of human interaction with nature through the lens of recreational shooting, without additional allegorical layers specified in the primary documentation.
Technique & Style
Created in 1874, Thomas Eakins's Pushing for Rail is executed as an oil painting on canvas. The work presents a horizontal composition, measuring approximately 33 inches in height by 76.4 inches in width, a format that accommodates the depiction of a hunting scene. Stylistically, the piece functions as a genre scene, focusing on the realistic portrayal of a man engaged in the act of hunting with a firearm, accompanied by a bird.
The application of oil paint on this woven support allows for the detailed rendering of figures and equipment characteristic of Eakins's approach to American realism during this period.
History & Provenance
Thomas Eakins created the oil-on-canvas painting Pushing for Rail in 1874. The work, which depicts a hunting scene featuring a man, a bird, and a firearm, entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While the specific date of inception is recorded as January 1, 1874, available records do not detail the original commission or the intermediate ownership chain prior to its acquisition by the museum. The painting is currently held within the museum's American Wing classification.
Pushing for Rail is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it is listed in the museum’s inventory as part of The American Wing’s collection of American paintings. The work is accessioned under the museum’s standard cataloging system for paintings, though the exact accession number is not provided in the available documentation. Its dimensions measure 33 cm in height by 76.4 cm in width, and it is executed in oil on canvas.
The painting portrays a hunter with a firearm alongside a bird, illustrating a 19th‑century American hunting scene. The supplied sources contain no record of prior exhibitions, so no exhibition history is documented for this work.
Context
Thomas Eakins completed Pushing for Rail in 1874, an oil on canvas work now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s American Wing. The painting belongs to the genre‑scene category and portrays a hunter with a firearm amid birds, reflecting 19th‑century American interests in outdoor sport and the meticulous realism characteristic of Eakins’s practice. Its dimensions (approximately 76.4 × 33 cm) and material composition underscore the technical precision Eakins applied to contemporary narrative subjects, situating the piece within the broader trajectory of American realism and the museum’s collection of pivotal works from the period.
Overview
Thomas Eakins completed Pushing for Rail in 1874, an oil on canvas depicting an outdoor hunting scene. This work exemplifies Eakins' dedication to portraying the everyday activities and individuals of his native Philadelphia. Known for his meticulous studies of life, Eakins captured a dynamic moment involving men and birds, reflecting his commitment to direct observation in his art.
Artist & collection
Artist
Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins (; July 25, 1844 – June 25, 1916) was an American realist painter, photographer, sculptor, and fine arts educator.
