The Steam Boats
Medium
Etching; first state of three (Delteil)
Dimensions
Image: 4 3/4 × 6 1/2 in. (12 × 16.5 cm) Plate: 5 13/16 × 7 7/8 in. (14.8 × 20 cm) Sheet: 6 11/16 × 10 1/16 in. (17 × 25.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Theodore De Witt, 1923
Accession Number
23.65.63
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
About this artwork
"The Steam Boats" represents Charles-François Daubigny's engagement with the modern industrialized landscape of mid-19th century France. Created in 1861 and published as plate 12 in "Voyage en Bateau" (1862), this etching captures the intersection of traditional landscape art and contemporary technological transformation. Daubigny, a leading figure of the Barbizon School, is best known for his plein-air landscapes and his influence on the Impressionists, yet this work demonstrates his willingnes...
Art Historical Context
Step into the serene yet transformative world of Charles-François Daigny's *The Steam Boats* (1861), an intimate that captures the gentle ripple of modernity on France's waterways. As a leading Barbizon School artist, Daubigny was renowned for his-air landscapes, painting directly from nature along the Seine and Oise rivers. Here, in the first state of three variations (as cataloged by Delteil), turns his keen eye to steam boats—symbols of mid-19th-century industrializationgliding through a familiar river scene. This plate from his *Voyage en Bateau* series (1862) measures just 4 3/4 × 6 1/2 inches, inviting visitors to lean in and savor its delicate lines. Daubigny's genius shines in his etching technique, which masterfully renders atmospheric tones and subtle textures once thought exclusive to painting. From his custom "botin" studio boat, he observed these vessels not as disruptors but as natural extensions of the evolving landscape, blending romantic naturalism with emerging realism. This innovative approach influenced Impressionists and even Vincent van Gogh, whose museum treasures a copy. Today, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (gift of Theodore De Witt, 1923), *The Steam Boats* reminds us how art evolves with its time—quietly chronicling progress amid timeless beauty.
About the Artist
Charles-François Daubigny · 1817–1878
Charles-François Daubigny was born on February 15, 1817, in Paris into a family of artists, with his father, Edmé-François Daubigny, a classical landscape painter, and his uncle, Pierre Daubigny, a miniaturist, providing his initial artistic training. He further studied under Jean-Victor Bertin, Jacques Raymond Brascassat, and Paul Delaroche at the École des Beaux-Arts, though he quickly moved bey...