The Artist's Wife and His Setter Dog, Thomas Eakins, 1849

Thomas Eakins' masterpiece, 'The Artist's Wife and His Setter Dog', captures the light-filled moment of repose between his newlywed wife Susan Macdowell, and their beloved pet Harry - all in the comfort of Thomas’ Philadelphia studio. After its completion in 1889, further study reveals a rather remarkable transformation showing a wholly different woman under the final paint. Its hidden work reveals a much more robust woman and less attuned lighting from the skylight. Perhaps it was amdist a personal tragedy following Thomas’ dismissal from Pennsylvania Academy for Fine Arts after making controversial art instruction modifications, known as the "loin cloth incident", or maybe his wife felt slighted at being originally pictured so robust.