À Concarneau (Trouville) 1874

Maxime Lalanne made this etching of Concarneau in France during a period of great social change. The print depicts the coastal town of Concarneau, capturing a moment of everyday life at the harbor. Lalanne, who dedicated himself to printmaking at a time when it was not considered a high art form, highlights the intersection of labor, leisure, and commerce in the 19th century. Note the detailed rendering of the ships, the architecture, and the figures. In its time, this piece served as a record of the changing social and economic landscape of France, as industrialization and urbanization transformed coastal communities. To truly understand this work, one might consider the history of Concarneau as a fishing port, the development of tourism in Brittany, and the rise of Realism in French art. These are all aspects that shape how we interpret Lalanne’s etching today. By exploring these contexts, we can appreciate the richness of this seemingly simple image.