The Cliff-Bay of Saint-Malo

The basis of this print is a heliogravure after a watercolor by Buhot’s father-in-law, Henry Johnston. Heliogravure, a photomechanical reproductive technique, was only the beginning. Through a myriad of techniques employed over several states, Buhot transformed the work from a painterly image of flat tones into what is probably his finest and most detailed landscape print, with a distant city view and a particularly atmospheric sky. The symphonic margins—anecdotal sketches along the edges of the sheet—are from a separate plate and are printed here in a different color. This is an especially dark impression, but printings exist in a variety of tonalities.

The bay depicted here takes its name from the city of Saint-Malo on the coast of Brittany. It’s an area Buhot came to know well. In 1888, he moved his residence to the town of Dinard, directly across the inlet from Saint-Malo.

Félix Buhot
French, 1847–1898

Private collection

1886–90

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

Etching, drypoint, roulette, aquatint, spit bite, and burnishing over heliogravure
Printed from two plates
State five of six
Margins: third state of three
Plate: 11 13/16 x 15 3/4 inches