Masked nude woman, seated 

Thomas Eakins made this drawing of a seated, masked nude woman with graphite on paper. Eakins was part of a progressive circle in late nineteenth-century Philadelphia that advocated for the study of the human body in art. The figure is rendered in a classical style, yet her face is covered. What does it mean to conceal the identity of the model? The masking complicates the viewer's relationship to the image, challenging any easy reading of the image as a celebration of the nude. Nude models were not typically masked in academic studies. Might the mask serve to highlight the voyeuristic element of the image? By literally covering the model's eyes, does Eakins intend to underscore the power of the artist? These are the kinds of questions a social historian of art might ask when approaching such an image. The answer may lie in archival sources or Eakins's statements about his work.