Country Neighbors

The image is often described as Buhot’s most charming print, a portrayal of the archetypical French couple heading home in a rainstorm under a single umbrella. Buhot added detailed margins to the left, reflecting what might be found within the house, sketchier images to the right, and a kind of crest at the bottom. After a first state that followed an almost connect-the-dots pattern, the central image remains essentially the same throughout the working of the plate, sometimes darker, sometimes lighter. The major changes are made in the pictorial margins. Buhot himself thought enough of the print to submit it to the government-sanctioned Paris Salon, at a time when such original prints were rare among the oil paintings, drawings, and craftsman-like reproductive etchings. It was exhibited in the Salon of 1880.

Félix Buhot
French, 1847–1898

Private collection

1879–80

This image is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. Other uses are not permitted.

Etching, drypoint, aquatint, burnishing, and stop-out
State five of seven
Plate: 5 5/16 x 7 1/8 inches