Bois de Boulogne, Paris

Artist Charles Marville (French, 1816–1879)

Dateabout 1858

Mediumalbumen print

Dimensions21.3 x 34.5 cm (image), 43.6 x 59.9 cm (mount)

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineCharlotte E.W. Buffington Fund

Terms

Object number1995.32

Label TextIn the mid-1800s, the city of Paris underwent a massive urban redevelopment program in which much of the old city was razed and replaced with wide boulevards and Second Empire-style architecture—what we think of as quintessentially Parisian today. This effort included the Bois de Boulogne, a former hunting ground for French kings that was redesigned as a public park, with meandering paths, lakes, boathouses, cafés, and a horse-racing track which was famously frequented by artists Edgar Degas and Edouard Manet, among others. Marville was commissioned by city agencies to document the park’s completion in 1858. His portfolio of sixty photographs is comprised of serene images of this newly manicured nature, just waiting for a rush of Parisian pleasure-seekers. While the purpose of this image is documentary, its atmospheric play of light across water recalls the French impressionist aesthetic, and how it was closely linked to those artists’ enjoyment of parks, gardens, and seaside resorts.ProvenanceLee Gallery, Winchester, MA

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