[Four Cats] 1893 - 1897

“[Four Cats]” is a photograph by American realist artist Thomas Eakins, created between 1893 and 1897. The image, a snapshot of four cats in a simple outdoor setting, showcases Eakins’s fascination with capturing the natural world with precision. The composition, featuring a black cat, a white cat, and two tabby cats, is characteristic of Eakins’s interest in the subtleties of animal anatomy and behavior. The photograph, now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, offers viewers a glimpse into Eakins’s ongoing exploration of both artistic and scientific observation.