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How did The Champion Single Sculls refer to Max Schmitt’s rowing victory?
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Thomas Eakins
Portrait of Dr. Samuel D. Gross (The Gross Clinic), oil on canvas by Thomas Eakins, 1875; part of the collections of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Philadelphia Art Museum. 2 × 2.5 m.
In his 1871 painting The Champion Single Sculls (Max Schmitt in a Single Scull), Thomas Eakins meticulously arranged the composition to include several specific references to his friend Max Schmitt’s victory in a prestigious single scull race.1
To document the event accurately, Eakins incorporated the following details:
- Date: The autumnal setting was chosen to correspond with the date of the race, October 5, 1870.1
- Time: The late-afternoon sky was painted to indicate the time the race took place, which was 5 p.m.1
- Location: Schmitt’s scull is positioned on the exact spot where the race's finishing line had been located.1
- Signature: Eakins further solidified the historical context by painting his own signature and the date of the work on the side of the boat.1
Eakins, who was also an avid rower, included himself in the painting as the rower visible in the middle distance.12