U.S. painter whose portraits of many well-known 19th-century figures were noted for delicate feeling.

He was a pupil of the schools of the National Academy of Design, New York City, and in 1872 went to Paris, where he studied in the École des Beaux-Arts under J.L. Gérôme. He made the acquaintance of Jean-François Millet (Millet, Jean-François) at Barbizon and was also influenced by his friend Jules Bastien-Lepage (Bastien-Lepage, Jules). After his return to the United States in 1876, he became a teacher in the Cooper Institute and opened a studio in New York City. He was one of the organizers (and the first secretary) of the Society of American Artists. Among his portraits are those of William Cullen Bryant and Timothy Cole, who engraved many of Eaton's works.