The rowing pictures created in the early 1870s are in author helen coopers words at heart about the strivings of the human spirit the essays view this body of work in terms of eakinss biography the unusually precise linear perspective of the pictures photomicrograph studies and historical ideologies about manhood. Thomas eakins the rowing pictures helen a cooper during the 1870s rowing became a tremendously popular sport in the united states an enthusiastic rower the young thomas eakins painted sketched and drew an extraordinary series of rowing pictures that were the most ambitious project of his early career. 50 out of 5 stars eakins on the schuylkill river reviewed in the united states on august 21 2010 any opportunity to study the works of thomas eakins is a pleasure this small book from yale university focuses on only one aspect of eakins work the rowing pictures. A year later eakins would produce two paintings of that race the biglin brothers racing and the biglin brothers turning the stake in the first painting notice the nearness of the competitors scull emphasizing the closeness of the race the rowing pictures introduced thomas eakins to the artistic community. Thomas eakins the rowing pictures is more and less than what its simple title suggests an investigation of the twenty four watercolors drawings and paintings of rowing subjects that eakins produced between 1871 and 1874 published in conjunction with a recent traveling exhibition this