La Petite Marine - Souvenir de Medway

Art Historical Context

Félix-Hilaire Buhot's *La Petite Marine - Sou de Medway* (1879) captures a nostalgic glimpse of the Medway River in Kent,, rendered as a intimate "little seascape." Buhot, a innovative French printmaker active in the late 19 century, was renowned for his atmospheric depictions of marine and urban life. This work reflects his travels abroad and fascination with fleeting light and water, evoking the era's growing interest in travel souvenirs and plein-air impressions amid the etching revival in France. Masterfully combining etching, drypoint, aquatint, and roulette on laid paper, Buhot achieves a painterly richness rare in prints. Etching provides crisp lines, drypoint adds velvety burrs for texture, aquatint builds subtle tones mimicking watercolor skies and waves, and roulette introduces granular effects for shimmering surfaces. At just 16.6 x 21.8 cm, the plate's modest scale invites close viewing, highlighting Buhot's technical virtuosity during a time when printmakers pushed boundaries to rival paintings. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's Rosenwald Collection—a treasure trove of master prints—this piece exemplifies Buhot's legacy in bridging traditional intaglio with modern expressiveness, delighting visitors with its delicate evocation of a distant waterway.

About the Artist

Félix-Hilaire Buhot · 1847–1898

Félix-Hilaire Buhot was born on July 9, 1847, in Valognes, a small town in Normandy, France, into a modest family—his father a wine merchant and his mother a seller of women's clothes. Orphaned by age seven after losing both parents and his maternal grandmother, he was raised by relatives, including a godfather, and received an early introduction to drawing from his adopted mother's nephew. In 186...