Thomas Pollack Anshutz, born in 1851, was a portrait, figurative and landscape painter. He studied at the National Academy of Design and went on to become the chief painting teacher at the Pennsylvania Institute of Fine Arts by 1886. Anshutz’s significant influence was projected more through his students than in his own work. He was generally not acknowledged until the 20th century. His oil paintings often depicted an isolated female in a contemplative pose. His most famous work, Iron Workers at Noontime (1882) clearly anticipates Realism, where working class men are shown in their everyday life. In addition to oils, Anshutz also produced watercolor pieces that show an interest in light and color, often done on travel. He died in 1912 after a long and successful career as a professor and working artist.