The Tugboat
Photograph
1856 (made)
1856 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
In this image the atmospheric cloud forms are echoed by a dark plume of smoke coming from a steam-powered tugboat. Behind it trails a sailing ship. Whether the tug is pulling or overtaking the ship, the comparison between the two vessels is striking. The suggestion is that the traditional is literally overtaken by the modern. The forms on the horizon stand out in silhouette, or contre jour - a French term used by artists and literally meaning ‘against the day’.
Le Gray made a series of seascapes that was famous for capturing dramatic lighting and weather conditions. He used glass negatives that were the same size as his photographs (around 40 x 30 cm). He placed the negative directly on top of photographic paper and printed in sunlight. The prints were then toned in a solution of gold chloride in hydrochloric acid. This resulted in a rich, violet-purple colour and had the added benefit of stabilising the images to help them withstand fading over time.
Most of the V&A’s fine group of Le Gray seascapes came to the Museum in 1868 as part of the bequest of the millionaire art collector Chauncy Hare Townshend. He had kept them in portfolios along with his watercolours, etchings and engravings. They have therefore remained in excellent condition, preserved to museum standards almost since they were made.
Le Gray made a series of seascapes that was famous for capturing dramatic lighting and weather conditions. He used glass negatives that were the same size as his photographs (around 40 x 30 cm). He placed the negative directly on top of photographic paper and printed in sunlight. The prints were then toned in a solution of gold chloride in hydrochloric acid. This resulted in a rich, violet-purple colour and had the added benefit of stabilising the images to help them withstand fading over time.
Most of the V&A’s fine group of Le Gray seascapes came to the Museum in 1868 as part of the bequest of the millionaire art collector Chauncy Hare Townshend. He had kept them in portfolios along with his watercolours, etchings and engravings. They have therefore remained in excellent condition, preserved to museum standards almost since they were made.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Tugboat (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Albumen print from collodion-on-glass negative |
| Brief description | 19thC, Townshend Bequest, 1868; Le Gray, Gustave. Seascsape with Yacht and Tugboat, Normandy, 1856-59 |
| Physical description | Photograph of a tugboat and sailing ship at sea. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Gallery label | Taken in Normandy, this study by Gustave Le Gray shows a steam-powered tugboat pulling a sailing ship through the water to port. The tugboat emits a plume of thick, dark smoke, which gives a sense of the sheer effort required to move the heavy ship. This study is symbolic of the evolution of technology, as modern steam power overtook traditional ships.(May 2023) |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by Chauncey Hare Townshend |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | In this image the atmospheric cloud forms are echoed by a dark plume of smoke coming from a steam-powered tugboat. Behind it trails a sailing ship. Whether the tug is pulling or overtaking the ship, the comparison between the two vessels is striking. The suggestion is that the traditional is literally overtaken by the modern. The forms on the horizon stand out in silhouette, or contre jour - a French term used by artists and literally meaning ‘against the day’. Le Gray made a series of seascapes that was famous for capturing dramatic lighting and weather conditions. He used glass negatives that were the same size as his photographs (around 40 x 30 cm). He placed the negative directly on top of photographic paper and printed in sunlight. The prints were then toned in a solution of gold chloride in hydrochloric acid. This resulted in a rich, violet-purple colour and had the added benefit of stabilising the images to help them withstand fading over time. Most of the V&A’s fine group of Le Gray seascapes came to the Museum in 1868 as part of the bequest of the millionaire art collector Chauncy Hare Townshend. He had kept them in portfolios along with his watercolours, etchings and engravings. They have therefore remained in excellent condition, preserved to museum standards almost since they were made. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 68000 |
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| Record created | February 5, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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