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Les Adieux

Félix-Hilaire Buhot

1874

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Romanticism Late 19th Century

Dominant colour

Les Adieux is a 1874 ink by Félix-Hilaire Buhot, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Félix-Hilaire Buhot
When & what style?: 1874 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This print shows a small, dark scene inside a room. A man in a coat stands with his back to us, holding a woman and a child close. Light spills from a window behind them, and a mirror reflects their shapes. Outside the framed picture, the paper is filled with quick, sketchy drawings—faces, waves, and swirling lines. The artist used dark ink to create deep shadows and fine details, like the folds in the man’s coat. The edges of the paper look uneven, almost like it was hand-drawn. The title *Les Adieux* hints this might be about goodbye—but you’d have to guess what’s happening. Check out how this was made using etching, drypoint, aquatint.