La Place Pigalle en 1878 (Place Pigalle in 1878)
Medium
etching, aquatint, drypoint, and roulette with burnishing in black on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 24 x 33.7 cm (9 7/16 x 13 1/4 in.) sheet: 30 x 44.5 cm (11 13/16 x 17 1/2 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Jacob Kainen
Accession Number
2002.98.413
Art Historical Context
Step into the bustling heart of1878 Paris with Félix-Hilaire Buhot's *La Place Pigalle en 1878*, a captivating print that freezes a moment in the city's vibrant street life. Place Pigalle, nestled at the foot of bohemian Montmartre, was a lively hub of theaters, cabarets, and nightlife during the late Belle Époque, teeming with pedestrians, horse-drawn carriages, and the energy of urban modernity. Buhot, a masterful French printmaker (1841–1898), excelled at evoking the atmosphere of contemporary Paris through his innovative intaglio techniques, bridging the worlds of painting and printmaking....
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...