A Landing in England (Un débarquement en Angleterre)

A Landing in England is typical of the elaborate process of Félix Buhot, one of the most experimental printmakers of his day. The artist insisted on being present at the printing stage and stamped a monogram, usually in red (as here), to identify an impression as having been made under his discerning eye. This print relates to Buhot’s own disembarkation at Ramsgate, north of Dover, on a trip to England in September 1879. Buhot deployed an entire range of etching and engraving techniques to capture the dramatic scene. Shown to great success at the Salon of 1880, A Landing in England was described by a critic as the result of something like black magic: "All of the known and unknown resources of engraving have been used: aquatint, drypoint, heavy biting in pure acid—in sum a devil’s brew in which the copper is opened wide and the varnish dissolves."