Vue de New York Arrivee du Transatlantique 1820
Louis Le Breton specialized in marine paintings which he created while working for the French Navy. This particular work depicts a view of ships arriving in the New York harbor from a transatlantic voyage. The foremost and largest ship dons a French flag and American flag. Other watercrafts head in various directions, leaving planes of colliding choppy wakes behind them. The city rests on the horizon beneath what must have been the gray sky of an overcast day. The ultra-precise details achieved through the etching process create a haze of mast ropes and building spires on the horizon. Bright colors used in on ships and flags dot the composition, but the deep green of the water in the harbor below cools the scene. The title and date of the work are included in script along the bottom of the print.