Landscape
Medium
Drawing
Classification
Drawing
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt
Accession Number
1931-71-56
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Charles Nicolas Ransonnette (3–1877), a French artist active during the Romantic era, created this serene *Landscape* drawing in 1860. Born in France, Ransonnette specialized capturing the natural world through meticulous draftsmanship, reflecting the 19th-century fascination with plein-air observation and the sublime beauty of nature. At the height of the Second Empire under Napoleon III, such works embodied a growing appreciation for landscapes as both artistic studies and emotional escapes from urban industrialization. Executed as a drawing—likely in graphite, ink, or wash on paper—this pi...