By the River

Art Historical Context

"By the River" captures a tranquil riverside landscape through the delicate medium ofogravure, a pioneering reproductive technique that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century. Created in 1865 after an original composition by French artist Charles-François Daubigny, this print was produced by the renowned publishing firms Goupil et Cie and D. Appleton & Co. Daubigny, a key figure in the Barbizon school, was celebrated for his direct engagement with nature, often painting outdoors along the rivers of France to convey atmospheric light and subtle tonal harmonies. Photogravure allowed such landscape images to reach wider audiences, bridging traditional printmaking with early photographic processes. The resulting plate, measuring roughly 8 by 12 inches, preserves the soft gradations and intimate scale typical of Daubigny’s riverside scenes while demonstrating the era’s growing interest in mechanical reproduction for art dissemination. Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art as a gift in 1960, this work highlights how nineteenth-century prints helped shape public appreciation of natural landscapes and the evolving relationship between art and technology.