Who painted On the Jetty?

On the Jetty was painted by Eugène Louis Boudin in c. 1869/1870.

Where can I see On the Jetty?

On the Jetty is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is On the Jetty?

On the Jetty is associated with Impressionism.

Can I buy a print of On the Jetty?

Museum-quality prints of On the Jetty are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

On the Jetty

Eugène Louis Boudin , 1870

On the Jetty is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Eugène Louis Boudin. It dates from 1870 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

Inscription: Inscribed:lower right by later hand: E. Boudin 1870 [?]

About this work

Boudin's small oil on wood, painted around 1869 to 1870, captures the leisure class at Trouville, where Parisians arrived by rail to stroll and socialize.

Fashionable figures in crinolines gather on a Normandy jetty beneath a vast, luminous sky. Boudin's small oil on wood, painted around 1869 to 1870, captures the leisure class at Trouville, where Parisians arrived by rail to stroll and socialize. Seized by the Nazi ERR and picked by Hermann Göring from the Jeu de Paume in 1942, it later entered the National Gallery through the Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection.

Subject & Meaning

Eugène Boudin's 1869 painting "On the Jetty" depicts a coastal scene centered on a jetty, populated by a crowd of people, a dog, flags, and umbrellas. In the water, sailboats are visible, and the sky is filled with clouds. These elements constitute the work's subject, portraying a moment of everyday seaside activity. The sources list these depicted items but do not provide further iconographic or symbolic interpretation.

Technique & Style

On the Jetty is executed in oil on a wood panel (18.4 × 27.4 cm). The composition depicts a jetty with a crowd, dogs, umbrellas, and flags, while sailboats and clouds fill the sky and water. The sources provide no additional detail on brushwork, handling, or condition.

History & Provenance

Eugène Boudin dated 'On the Jetty' to 1869 (oil on panel, 18.4 × 27.4 cm). The painting was first owned by Moïse Lévy de Benzion in Paris. During World War II, it was confiscated by the Nazi Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR) from the Lévy de Benzion collection, selected by Hermann Göring on 25 November 1942, and later recovered at Berchtesgaden.

Restituted to France on 18 April 1946 and returned to the Lévy de Benzion family on 10 May 1946, it was sold at Hôtel Drouot, Paris, on 29 November 1949 (lot 80). Thereafter it passed through E. Slater; Alex Reid and Lefevre, Glasgow and London (purchased 1950); Captain Edward H. Molyneux, Paris (bought 1951); and Ailsa Mellon Bruce, New York (acquired 15 August 1955). Bruce bequeathed the work to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, in 1970.

Overview

Eugène Boudin's "On the Jetty," painted around 1869/1870, depicts fashionable figures in crinolines gathered on a Normandy pier. This small oil on wood panel captures the emerging leisure class enjoying the coastal resort of Trouville. The work exemplifies Boudin's focus on modern life and his innovative approach to landscape painting, anticipating later developments in French art.