Artwork

La Fete Nationale (Matinée de Fete 30 June 1878) (National Holiday 30 June 1878)

La Fete Nationale (Matinée de Fete 30 June 1878) (National Holiday 30 June 1878) is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Félix-Hilaire Buhot. It dates from 1878 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Félix‑Hilaire Buhot’s print titled *La Fête Nationale (Matinée de Fête 30 June 1878)* records a public celebration in Paris on the national holiday of 30 June 1878. Executed the same year it depicts a bustling urban street filled with participants in a parade. The work is part of the National Gallery of Art’s collection in Washington, D.C., and is presented as a single sheet print on wove paper.

Subject & Meaning

The composition captures a festive procession moving along a city avenue. Children clutch small flags and banners, while adults walk beside them, creating a layered sense of communal participation. Shop fronts and street signs line the background, anchoring the scene in a recognizable urban environment and emphasizing the collective spirit of a national celebration.

Technique & Style

This blend of precise and gestural marks conveys the immediacy of a crowded street while retaining the fine detail characteristic of 19th‑century printmaking.

Buhot employed a combination of etching, roulette, and soft‑ground techniques on wove paper. The acid‑etched lines define architectural elements, whereas the roulette and soft‑ground passages generate looser, sketch‑like strokes that suggest motion. This blend of precise and gestural marks conveys the immediacy of a crowded street while retaining the fine detail characteristic of 19th‑century printmaking.

History & Provenance

Created in 1878, the print entered the National Gallery of Art’s holdings through acquisition (specific donor or purchase details are not recorded in the available data). Its presence in a major American museum reflects the broader interest in French printmaking of the period and provides a reference point for Buhot’s oeuvre within institutional collections.

Context

The image documents a public holiday shortly after the Exposition Universelle of 1878, a time when Paris showcased its modernity and national pride. Such celebrations often featured parades that highlighted civic unity, and Buhot’s depiction aligns with contemporary visual reports of urban festivity, offering insight into the social atmosphere of late‑19th‑century France.