1876

Collotype of "The Gross Clinic"

American, 1844 - 1916

Eakins wished to have black-and-white reproductions of The Gross Clinic made by a renowned European printer. To ensure accurate reproduction of the painting, he made this large drawing to send as the reference image, as photographs of the time could not translate colors into correct relative levels of light and dark. The final printed reproductions could not be made as deep or varied in tone as oil paint, so for clarity in the print medium, Eakins made the drawing lighter, but it does document his view of the just-completed painting's relative tones of dark and light.