''The Kearsarge at Boulogne'' is an oil-on-canvas painting by

Édouard Manet Édouard Manet (, ; ; 23 January 1832 – 30 April 1883) was a French modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism. Bo ...

completed in 1864. It depicts the Union sloop-of-war anchored at the French resort of

Boulogne-sur-Mer Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the C ...

History and description

On June 19, 1864, the ''Kearsarge'' sank the Confederate raider CSS ''Alabama'' at the Battle of Cherbourg in one of the most celebrated naval actions of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. Many spectators were able to see the battle from the coast of France. Manet was inspired to make a painting of the battle, but not having witnessed it himself, relied on press descriptions to make an imaginary scene of the battle. and within 26 days of the event, he had already completed this painting and placed on display in the print shop of Alfred Cadart in Paris. This is the work known as '' The Battle of the Kearsarge and the Alabama'', now at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Several weeks later, ''Kearsarge'' made a port call at Boulogne-sur-Mer, where it drew wide media attention and numerous curious spectators, one of whom was Manet. Manet painted a watercolor of the ship anchored at Boulogne-sur-Mer, which is now at the

Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon The Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon is a museum of fine arts opened in 1787 in Dijon, France. It is one of the main and oldest museums of France. It is located in the historic city centre of Dijon and housed in the former ducal palace which was ...

, and later completed this oil-on-canvas painting.''The Kearsarge at Boulogne''
Metropolitan Museum of Art website The painting is owned by the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

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Juliet Wilson-Bareau Juliet Capulet () is the female protagonist in William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy '' Romeo and Juliet''. A 13-year-old girl, Juliet is the only daughter of the patriarch of the House of Capulet. She falls in love with the male protagonist ...

with David C. Degener
''Manet and the American Civil War: The Battle of the U.S.S. Kearsarge and the C.S.S. Alabama''
Issued in connection with an exhibition held June 3 - August 17, 2003, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York {{DEFAULTSORT:Kearsarge at Boulogne, The Paintings by Édouard Manet 1864 paintings Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Maritime paintings Ships in art

History and description

See also

References

External links