Approaching Safe Harbor: The American Frigate's Return, 1920, Print

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This print depicts an American frigate from the caption "Frégate des États-Unis d'Amérique, courant au mouillage," which translates to "Frigate … Read more This print depicts an American frigate from the caption "Frégate des États-Unis d'Amérique, courant au mouillage," which translates to "Frigate of the United States of America, running at anchorage." The ship is featured prominently in the center, with its sails partially furled and the American flag displayed, suggesting it may be approaching a port or preparing to anchor. The title conveys the sense of the ship nearing the end of its voyage and the safety and security of the harbor. The technique used here is heliotype with hand coloring. Heliotype is a form of early photographic reproduction that allowed for detailed and accurate prints of photographs and artworks. After the heliotype was created, producing a monochrome image, an artist would then apply colors by hand to each print individually. This required a great deal of skill to accurately reproduce the colors and shading of the original work, making each hand-colored print a unique piece of art. Hand coloring also added depth and life to the prints, making them more appealing and closer to the original artwork's appearance. The title of the print, is written within the print itself, indicating that it was part of a series or collection of similar works. The double border line adds a formal touch and frames the image, which is a typical presentation for prints of this era. About the original artist: Jean-Jérôme Baugean was an artist known for his detailed maritime prints. His works often depicted various types of ships with precise accuracy and attention to detail, capturing the naval architecture and the atmosphere of sea travel during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The link between Baugean and this print is that the heliotype is likely based on an original work by Baugean. The process of creating a heliotype involves producing a photographic print of an original image, which in this case, would be Baugean's artwork. The image is then hand-colored to bring it to life, mimicking the style and technique of the original painting or drawing. Therefore, the print serves as a reproduction of Baugean's original artwork, allowing the maritime scenes he captured to be more widely disseminated and appreciated. Given that the print is from circa 1920, it would have been created after Baugean's time, as he was active in the early 19th century. Nonetheless, it reflects his artistic legacy and the enduring appeal of his maritime subjects. The paper has a water mark in the top right corner - not yet identified. See less