The "Kearsarge" at Boulogne

The "Kearsarge" at Boulogne

The "Kearsarge" at Boulogne
Artist:Édouard Manet (French, Paris 1832–1883 Paris)
Date:1864
Medium:Oil on canvas
Dimensions:32 1/8 x 39 3/8 in. (81.6 x 100 cm)
Classification:Paintings
Credit Line:Gift of Peter H. B. Frelinghuysen, and Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Richard J. Bernhard Gift, by exchange, Gifts of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Rodgers and Joanne Toor Cummings, by exchange, and Drue Heinz Trust, The Dillon Fund, The Vincent Astor Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Henry R. Kravis, The Charles Engelhard Foundation, and Florence and Herbert Irving Gifts, 1999
Accession Number:1999.442

During the American Civil War, the United States warship Kearsarge made headlines after sinking the Confederate raider Alabama off the coast of France. Manet did not witness firsthand the widely-covered event but devoted two paintings to the subject: a scene of the naval battle (Philadelphia Museum of Art) and this picture, prompted by his subsequent visit to the victorious ship at anchor near Boulogne. They were his first depictions of a current event.

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