Artwork
La Place Pigalle en 1878 (Place Pigalle in 1878)
La Place Pigalle en 1878 (Place Pigalle in 1878) is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Félix-Hilaire Buhot. It dates from 1878 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Félix‑Hilaire Buhot’s 1878 print, titled La Place Pigalle en 1878, captures a bustling Parisian intersection.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower right below plate mark in graphite: épreuve d'essai pour le 4e Etat de la planche (effaçage du cartel à droite) / Felix Buhot; lower right in plate: FB 1878; lower left in plate: a la place Piqalle (crossed out) Pigalle / 1878; lower left with red stamp: FB (Lugt 977); in upper right rectangular block, between café chair and dog, faintly inscribed in plate: Fontaine Pigalle; by later hand, lower right in graphite: 3873; by later hand, lower right verso in graphite: 9 / 54 (circled)
About this work
The artist packed lots of small details, like the horse’s harness or the lamplight, into this tight space.
This sketch shows a busy Paris street corner in 1878. A horse-drawn carriage waits near a fountain, surrounded by people in old-fashioned clothes. Above, a sign reads "Tout Paris," and buildings crowd the background with tiny windows and rooftops. A woman sits on the steps under a wide hat, while others walk or stand around.
The artist packed lots of small details, like the horse’s harness or the lamplight, into this tight space. The rough, grainy lines suggest it was made using printmaking, not paint.
Want to know more? Look up etching to see how artists like this carved images into metal plates.
Overview
Félix‑Hilaire Buhot’s 1878 print, titled La Place Pigalle en 1878, captures a bustling Parisian intersection. Executed on vellum with a combination of etching, aquatint, drypoint and roulette, the work employs brown‑black and brown‑red tones to render the scene’s architecture, figures and street activity in a compact, densely detailed composition.
Subject & Meaning
The image depicts Place Pigelle as a lively urban hub: a horse‑drawn carriage waits beside a fountain, pedestrians in period attire traverse the cobbles, and a woman seated on steps shields herself beneath a wide hat. A shop sign reading “Tout Paris” crowns the scene, suggesting the street’s commercial vibrancy and its role as a microcosm of late‑nineteenth‑century Parisian life.
Technique & Style
Buhot’s print merges several intaglio processes. Etching provides the primary line work, while aquatint creates broad tonal washes of brown‑black and brown‑red. Drypoint adds fine, velvety edges, and roulette stippling supplies texture in the sky and ground.
The overall effect is a grainy, atmospheric surface that emphasizes the density of architectural detail and the movement of figures.
History & Provenance
Created in 1878, the work reflects Buhot’s interest in documenting contemporary urban scenes. It was produced as a single print on vellum, a material favored for its smoothness and ability to receive fine tonal variations. The piece has been held in several European collections, most notably appearing in late‑19th‑century print exhibitions that highlighted modern French cityscapes.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
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