Pushing for Rail
Artist: Thomas Eakins (American, 1844–1916)
Original Dimensions: 13" x 30 1/16"
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
About Artwork: (1874) "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." - (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

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