[Three Children and a Dog Playing in the Creek, July 4, 1883] 1883

Thomas Eakins captured "Three Children and a Dog Playing in the Creek, July 4, 1883" using gelatin silver print, a process which replaced the older, more cumbersome wet collodion method, and was an early form of snapshot photography. The gelatin silver process, with its pre-prepared dry plates, made photography more accessible and immediate. Here, it lends a soft, almost dreamlike quality to the image, emphasizing the idyllic moment rather than sharp detail. Eakins’s choice speaks to a shift in photographic practice, from staged portraiture to capturing spontaneous, everyday life. Consider how this gelatin silver print contrasts with traditional fine art. Its accessibility democratized image-making, challenging the elitism often associated with painting and sculpture. Eakins, himself a painter, embraced photography for its truthfulness, blurring the lines between artistic disciplines and opening new avenues for creative expression.