Thomas Eakins (1844-1916) was one of America's foremost painters and a highly respected sculptor, photographer, and fine arts teacher. He is often celebrated for his realist depictions of contemporary life in late nineteenth-century Philadelphia. Yet, in addition to his iconic paintings of rowers, doctors, and wrestlers, he completed a number of works that reflected his deep and abiding interest in the historical past. "Thomas Eakins and the Uses of History" is the first book to examine the artist's lifelong fascination with historical themes. Akela Reason delves deeply into unpublished...