Artwork

Salmon Fisher (Le pecheur du saumon)

Salmon Fisher (Le pecheur du saumon), by Alphonse Legros, ink, 1874
Salmon Fisher (Le pecheur du saumon), by Alphonse Legros, ink, 1874

Salmon Fisher (Le pecheur du saumon) is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Alphonse Legros. It dates from 1874 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Salmon Fisher (Le pecheur du saumon) is an 1874 etching by Alphonse Legros, a French-born British artist known for his contributions across multiple mediums. The print captures a serene winter scene of a solitary figure engaged in salmon fishing.

Subject & Meaning

The etching portrays a quiet, wintry landscape with a distant figure hunched near the water’s edge, possibly tending to a net or line. Three bare, twisted trees dominate the foreground against a pale sky, with frosted ground and detailed icy textures.

Technique & Style

Legros employed fine, scratchy etching lines to render intricate details, from twisted branches to ice cracks. This technique, involving scratching into a metal plate before inking, achieves the print’s textured, detailed quality.

History & Provenance

Created in 1874, Salmon Fisher reflects Legros’s role in the British etching revival. As an educator and artist, he influenced the medium’s resurgence in Britain, though specific provenance details for this work are not provided.

Context

Within the broader context of 19th-century British art, Salmon Fisher exemplifies the renewed interest in etching as an expressive medium. Legros’s work bridged French and British artistic traditions.

Artist & collection

Portrait of Alphonse Legros

Artist

Alphonse Legros

Alphonse Legros (French pronunciation: ; 8 May 1837 – 8 December 1911) was a French, later British, painter, etcher, sculptor, and medallist.

This work is in the public domain (CC0). Image source: National Gallery of Art open access. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.