A Landscape
Medium
Drawing
Classification
Drawing
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt
Accession Number
1931-71-62
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**A Landscape** by Charles Nicolas RansonnetteFrench, 1793–1877) captures the essence of 19th-century European naturalism through the intimate medium of drawing. Created between 1850 and 1875, during the artist's mature years amid France's Romantic and emerging Realist movements, this work exemplifies how draftsmen like Ransonnette used pencil or ink to sketch expansive vistas, often as studies for larger paintings or personal reveries. Landscapes were a beloved genre then, reflecting a growing appreciation for nature's sublime beauty amid rapid industrialization. As a drawing, it highlights ...