Eaux-fortes par Bracquemond

Art Historical Context

Félix Bracond’s *Eauxortes par Bracquemond* (1854) is a delicate etching on blue paper that captures the quiet vitality of ducks in a natural setting. Created during the mid-nineteenth-century revival of etching as a fine-art medium, this print highlights Bracquemond’s skill in translating lively animal subjects into intricate line work. The choice of blue paper adds a subtle tonal warmth, softening the contrast and lending the scene an atmospheric quality rarely seen in traditional black-and-white impressions. As the second state of three, the work reveals the artist’s careful process of refining details and textures through successive stages of biting and reworking the copper plate. Printed by Pierron et Delâtre, it exemplifies the collaborative nature of etching production at the time. Bracquemond, a pioneering figure in the etching revival, helped elevate the medium from mere reproduction to expressive art, influencing later generations of printmakers. Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art as a gift in 1926, this intimate sheet invites viewers to appreciate both the technical precision and the gentle poetry of everyday nature rendered through one of the most demanding printmaking techniques of its era.

About the Artist

Félix Bracquemond|Pierron et Delâtre · 1833–1914

French, Paris 1833–1914 Sèvres