Monsignor James P. Turner 

Thomas Eakins’ portrait depicts Monsignor James P. Turner in an unknown year, rendered in oil on canvas. Eakins was a realist painter active in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the late 19th and early 20th century. His work often addressed the social structures of his time. Eakins made a name for himself painting scenes of contemporary life, often with a focus on the human figure. His selection of Monsignor Turner as a subject would have spoken to the role of the Catholic church as a social institution with considerable power in the United States at this time. The trappings of Turner’s office, like his ornate garments and prayer book, function as visual cues for the viewer to situate the image within a discourse of religious authority. Understanding Eakins’ choices requires research into Philadelphia’s religious demographics, the history of American Catholicism, and the place of portraiture within systems of patronage.