Port de Trouville

Art Historical Context

Maxime Lalanne’s *Port de Trouville* (1880) offers a quiet glimpse of the Normandy coast through the refined medium of etching. Created on wove paper, the print measures just 17. by 28.3 in the image area inviting close viewing of its delicate lines and tonal subtleties. As a leading figure in the nineteenth-century etching revival, Lalanne used the technique’s capacity for fine detail and atmospheric suggestion to evoke the light and activity of a fashionable French harbor town. Etching on wove paper allowed artists to achieve soft gradations and crisp textures that captured both architectural forms and the play of water and sky. In 1880, such prints circulated widely among collectors, extending the reach of contemporary scenes beyond large-scale paintings. The modest plate size and intimate scale reflect the period’s growing appreciation for works suited to private enjoyment rather than grand public display. This impression entered the National Gallery of Art through the generous gift of Carol and James Goodfriend, preserving a fine example of French printmaking for today’s visitors to study and admire.

About the Artist

Maxime Lalanne · 1827–1886

François Antoine Maxime Lalanne (1827–1886) was born in Bordeaux into a family of civil servants, initially pursuing classical studies and a law career. At the Institution Oré, he learned drawing from instructor Saulnier and showed early promise, exhibiting pencil and pastel works at Bordeaux's Philomathique Society in 1850, where he earned a bronze medal. Encouraged by architect Léo Drouyn, Lalan...