Bateau de transport de Canton - Paris 1841

Bateau de transport de Canton (Transport boat of Canton)
Drawn by: François-Edmond Pâris (Admiral Pâris)
Published in: Paris by Arthus-Bertrand
Year: 1841
From: Essai sur la construction navale des peuples extra-européens
Condition: Fine hand-coloured lithograph; professionally matted

A Landmark in Maritime Ethnography
This exceptional 1841 lithograph is the work of François-Edmond Pâris, a French naval officer and the first director of the Musée de la Marine. Pâris is widely considered the father of modern maritime ethnography. During his three circumnavigations of the globe (including the voyage of La Bonite in 1836), he meticulously surveyed and drew local vessels that were then unknown to Western science.
The Canton Transport Junk
This plate depicts a heavy Chinese transport vessel in the Pearl River Delta.

• Technical Detail: Pâris was an engineer at heart; the print captures the specific "junk" rigging, the bamboo-battened sails, and the unique structural bracing of the hull with extraordinary accuracy.
• The Scene: It illustrates the traditional practice of a heavy junk being towed by a long rowing boat, providing a rare glimpse into the logistical life of 19th-century Chinese river commerce.
• Artistic Quality: Unlike many contemporary prints that were purely decorative, Pâris' works are prized for being to-scale technical records that captured these traditional ships before they were replaced by Western steam technology.