Notre-Dame, Evening, plate eight from Le Long de la Seine et des Boulevards

Art Historical Context

In the enchanting series *Le Long de la Seine des Boulevards*, artist and master engraver Louis Auguste Lepère captures the timeless allure of Paris in *Notre-Dame, Evening* (plate eight), created in 1890 and published 1910. This wood engraving depicts the iconic Gothic cathedral at dusk, bathed in the soft glow of twilight along the Seine. Lepère, a leading figure in fin-de-siècle printmaking, documented the city's evolving boulevards and riverbanks with meticulous detail, evoking the bustling energy of Belle Époque Paris amid its historic landmarks. Rendered in black ink on delicate cream Japanese tissue—a luxurious, thin paper prized for its absorbency and subtle texture—the print measures a intimate 9.2 × 11.4 cm. Wood engraving, Lepère's specialty, allowed for intricate line work that rivals etching, translating atmospheric light and shadow into precise, velvety tones. This technique revived the woodcut tradition while embracing modern realism, bridging 19th-century illustration with fine art. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings department, this piece highlights Lepère's role in elevating printmaking as an accessible yet sophisticated medium. It invites visitors to linger on Notre-Dame's enduring silhouette, a poignant reminder of Paris's cultural heartbeat preserved in miniature elegance.

About the Artist

Louis Auguste Lepère · 1849–1918

Louis-Auguste Lepère (1849–1918) was born in Paris on November 30 to the sculptor François Lepère, immersing him early in the artistic world. At age thirteen, he apprenticed in the studio of the English wood engraver Joseph Burn-Smeeton, training there from 1862 to 1867, and later attended drawing courses under Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran at the Petite École (now École nationale supérieure des art...