Charles François DaubignyFrench, 1817–1878The Hydraulic Engine
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “The Hydraulic Engine” now? Collection: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.
Minneapolis, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
The hydraulic engine of this print's title is actually the sketchy bit of machinery in the far distance, highlighted by the sun. True to his Barbizon roots, Charles-François Daubigny spent more time on the landscape in the foreground. The work belongs to the short-lived printmaking process called cliché-verre, born in France in the 1850s. Artists would rub soot or other opaque covering on a glass plate, scratch in a design, place it on light-sensitive paper, and expose it to the sun. Because they are made much like photographs and no ink is impressed onto the paper, clichés-verre are always flat and textureless. This version of The Hydraulic Engine is an uncommon inverse print, in which Daubigny flipped the plate over and printed it the reverse of the usual way.
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Details
- Accession number
- P.2, 111
In the catalog
Sources
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Image: Minneapolis Institute of Art — public domain
In the life of Charles François Daubigny
The whole life1860s
His technique influences the future Impressionists
Daubigny's impasto in the lights, translucent glazes in the shadows and small separate strokes, which earned him both praise and harsh criticism, influenced the future Impressionists in the 1860s. Like them, he cared little for crisp contours and favoured a broad manner.
1861
Gautier faults him for sketchiness
Reviewing the Paris Salon in 1861, Théophile Gautier ironically lamented that Daubigny was content with a first impression and neglected detail, so that his pictures were no more than sketches. The critic urged him to abandon this manner as soon as possible.
1862
Experiments with cliché-verre alongside Corot
Together with Camille Corot, Daubigny experimented with the cliché-verre technique, a process halfway between photography and printmaking; he became one of its main practitioners.
1862
The etching album “Voyage en Bateau”
Daubigny published Voyage en Bateau, a series of 19 etchings (including the title page) depicting his life on and along the water in his floating studio, with his son Karl as “cabin boy”.
1864
Among the first exhibitors of the Société nationale des beaux-arts
In 1864 Daubigny was one of the first exhibitors at the salon of the Société nationale des beaux-arts.
1864–1874
A decade of his finest pictures: forests and lakes
Daubigny's best-known paintings date from 1864 to 1874 and depict mostly forests and lakes. He was disappointed that the works he considered his finest were not understood by his contemporaries, yet by the end of his life he remained a sought-after and esteemed artist.
