Jules de Buisseret
Active in the 19th century
Crossing the Sea on a Steamer
Pen and brown ink, pen, watercolour, framing lines with pen and grey ink.
Signed J. de Buisseret under the drawing on the left and titled La Traversée sur le Paquebot, on the center.
Sheet 181 x 277 mm – 1/8 x 10 7/8 in. ; Drawing 104 x 220 mm – 4 1/8 x 8 11/16 in.
This charming genre scene represents a boat trip in the 1820s-1830s, when the invention of the steam engine was being applied to sea transportation according to a technique invented by Robert Fulton. The small size of the ship indicates that it is one of the first liners which, using a combination of wind and steam power, provided their passengers with crossing trips as trying as they were exciting.
With a great sense of humor, the draughtsman represents the sick passengers, sitting on the edge of the ship, longing for fresh air under the grey smoke of the chimney. At the front, a carriage was embarked.
The artist is little known and few of his paintings are documented. One of them represents Travelers on a Mountain Lake (Paris, sale Thierry de Maigret, 5 December 2018, lot 21).
Good condition. A small tear upper center of the sheet which does not affect the drawing. Some small stains in the lower margin.
