From Sothebys

In 1885 [Paul] travelled to London for the first time, where he visited his close friend John Singer Sargent. This was the start of a lifelong affection for England, where he returned almost every year, travelling with his friend and painting en plein air. During his trips to England, he visited Cowes, the ‘yachting capital of the world’, where he found a new source of inspiration in the sailing boats, as well as in the fashionably dressed visitors to the regatta. 

A contemporary of Helleu’s, Berthe Morisot visited Cowes during the summer 1875, and wrote to her sister Edma: "It is the prettiest place for painting... I have already made a start, but it is difficult. People come and go on the jetty and it is impossible to catch them. It is the same with the boats. There is extraordinary life and movement, but how is one to render it?" (Kathleen Adler and Tamar Garb (ed.), The Correspondence of Berthe Morisot, London 1986, p. 101). 
(Sothebys)
 
 

Note:

Provenance

Stoppenbach & Delestre, London
Private Collection, San Francisco

Sale

Offer for sale at Sothebys; London, New Bond Street;  Session 1, 21 Jun 04, 7:00 PM; Sale L04007, lot 15; estimated  200,000—300,000 GBP 
 

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