Edith Neff, Seated Male Nude Seen from the Back

As an instructor at both the Philadelphia College of Art (now the University of the Arts) and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Edith Neff often had nude models pose for her painting and drawing classes. This figure study may have been drawn as a demonstration piece during one of those classes, as it does not appear to be a study for any of her known paintings. Neff made many works on paper, mostly using pastel, graphite, or charcoal. An early still life drawn by Neff with charcoal is included in the Corridor Gallery.