Thomas Pollack Anschutz was an American 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. Thomas Anschutz important influence was projected more through his students than in his own artwork. He was generally not acknowledged until the 20th century. Anschutz's oil paintings often depicted a female in a contemplative posture. His most famous paintings, "Iron Workers at Noontime" anticipates Realism, where working class men are shown in their everyday life. In addition to oil paintings, Anschutz also produced watercolor pieces that show an interest in light and color, often done on travel.