Thomas Eakins, American, b. - Woman with Parasol (Walking Dress) - (1875-1876) - T-Shirt

This pencil costume study by Thomas Eakins shows a standing woman in a walking dress, straw hat, lace-edged cape and parasol, set against ruled paper with handwritten fabric notes.

Visual Elements & Composition

Off-white paper fills most of the frame, and graphite grey carries all of the drawing. Fine hatching shades the parasol canopy and the folds of the skirt, which falls to a pointed hem above a pair of simple shoes. A wide-brimmed straw hat ties beneath the chin, and a cape with a deep scalloped border drapes over the shoulders and arms. Handwritten notes run down the left and right margins, and a dated line at the lower left reads August 1807.

Meaning & Symbolism

The sheet works as a costume record rather than a finished portrait. Eakins describes each garment in turn: a plain round robe of fine cambric, a cloak edged in a Vandyke border, a village hat of straw with a silk crown. He fixed the materials and combinations of dress on paper before placing them in a painted historical scene. Eakins (1844–1916) produced studies like this in the mid-1870s, alongside his portraits, while he was preparing historical and genre subjects. The drawing shows the research behind that work, where period clothing was described precisely before it reached the canvas.

Drawn Close, Worn Close

A costume study is meant to be read at close range, with its fine lines and small handwriting rewarding a second look. Across the chest, the full-length figure keeps the stance and silhouette Eakins drew, and the notes in the margins reward anyone who steps closer to read them.