Thirty-Six Views of the Eiffel Tower: From Behind Frémiet's Elk (Trocadero) - Henri Rivière

A colour lithograph from Henri Rivière's series, capturing the Eiffel Tower from the Trocadero gardens through a lens influenced by Japanese printmaking.

Henri Rivière produced his series, Thirty-Six Views of the Eiffel Tower, between 1888 and 1902. This collection draws direct inspiration from the ukiyo-e tradition, specifically the woodblock prints of Hokusai. Rivière adopts the Japanese approach to composition, often employing unconventional framing and flattened perspectives to capture the rapidly changing urban environment of late nineteenth-century Paris.

In this specific plate, the artist positions the viewer behind the bronze sculpture of an elk by Emmanuel Frémiet, located at the Trocadero. The statue occupies the foreground, its textured, weathered surface contrasting with the geometric precision of the Eiffel Tower rising in the distance. The composition uses the sculpture as a framing device, guiding the eye across the gardens toward the iron structure. The weather is depicted through subtle, vertical striations in the sky, suggesting a light rain or mist that softens the architectural lines of the city.

Rivière was a central figure in the shadow theatre at the Chat Noir cabaret, and his experience with stage lighting and silhouettes informs his printmaking. He uses a muted, earthy palette to maintain a sense of atmospheric unity. The inclusion of the red seal in the corner serves as a deliberate nod to the aesthetic conventions of Japanese print masters. By juxtaposing a classical animal sculpture with the modern industrial form of the tower, Rivière documents the tension between the traditional character of Paris and its new technological identity. The print functions as a precise observation of a specific urban moment, rendered with the technical discipline of a master lithographer.