The Cabin Boy Fishing or Line Fishing 1862

Charles-François Daubigny made this pen and brown ink drawing, called The Cabin Boy Fishing, sometime in the mid-19th century. It depicts a young man fishing in a river, with a suggestion of French landscape in the distance. Daubigny was an important figure in the Realist movement in France. This movement was characterized by its rejection of Romanticism and its focus on depicting the world as it is, rather than as it should be. Fishing was becoming increasingly popular among the rising middle classes in France during this period. Daubigny's choice of subject matter, therefore, reflects the changing social and economic conditions of France at the time. To understand Daubigny's influences, historians consult a wide range of primary sources, including letters, diaries, and contemporary reviews of his work. We examine the ways in which the institutions of art, such as the Salon and the École des Beaux-Arts, shaped the production and reception of his art. By situating Daubigny's work in its social and institutional context, we can gain a deeper understanding of its meaning and significance.