Walt Whitman by Thomas Eakins, ca. early to mid-1880s
This photo group is part of Eakins's "naked series" and is labeled simply "Old man, seven photographs." The model bears a striking resemblance to Whitman; for a plausible case that this may be a photo of Whitman "undisguised and naked," see Ed Folsom, "Walt Whitman's 'Calamus' Photographs" in Betsy Erkkila and Jay Grossman, Breaking Bounds: Whitman and American Cultural Studies (New York: Oxford University Press, 1996), pp. 193–219.
For more information on Thomas Eakins, see "Notes on Whitman's Photographers."
Photographer: Eakins, Thomas, 1844–1916
Date: ca. early to mid-1880s
Technique: photograph
Place: Philadelphia (Pa.)
Subject: Whitman, Walt, 1819-1892 | Philadelphia (Pa.)
Instance(s):
Metadata for Digital Item
Creator of master digital image: J. Paul Getty Museum
Rights: Public Domain. This image may be reproduced without permission.
Work Type: digital image
Date: ca. 1995–ca. 2000