The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 26, 2025

Construction of an Elevated Railway: Bridge over the Cours de Vincennes

1888

Paul Désiré Trouillebert

(French, 1829–1900)
France, 19th century
oil on fabric
Unframed: 38.2 x 56 cm (15 1/16 x 22 1/16 in.)
Bequest of Noah L. Butkin 1980.289
Location: Not on view

Description

Conceived in 1851, after Napoleon III came to power, the railway encircling Paris was intended to transport merchandise and, eventually, passengers. The railway represented a new convenience, but measures were needed to ensure the safety of other traffic. The numerous railway crossings included in the initial plans turned out to be a source of fatal accidents. To remedy the problem, the platforms and retaining walls were to be raised at the most dangerous spots. The Cours de Vincennes, in the eastern part of Paris, had been one of the deadliest intersections. The work on an elevated railway bridge over this street, which is depicted here, was completed in February 1889. Trouillebert concentrated on portraits until about 1881, when he began to focus on landscapes. He also painted everyday scenes and nudes. He was commissioned by Edme Piot, a public works contractor, to paint this and four related views of the Paris railway construction.
  • 1888-1909
    Edme Piot [1828-1909], Paris, by descent to his family
    1909-
    Descendents of Edme Piot
    Until 1977
    (Galerie J. F. Heim, Paris, sold to Noah and Muriel Butkin
    Until 1980
    Noah and Muriel Butkin, Cleveland, OH, bequeathed to the Cleveland Museum of Art as a result of disclaimer by Muriel S. Butkin
    1980-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
    Provenance Footnotes
    1 In need of money to purchase a house in Candes, Trouillebert offered his services in 1888 to an acquaintance, Edme Piot, a public works contractor in Paris and later, senator of the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.  Piot was in charge of the elevation of the railroad encircling Paris, and he commissioned five paintings from Trouillebert, including the Cleveland picture, that depict the contruction work.
    2 The sale to the Butkins was brokered by Galerie Arnoldi-Livie, Munich.
  • d'Argencourt, Louise, Roger Diederen, and Alisa Luxenberg. European Paintings of the 19th Century. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1999.
    Angelika Livie, email to Victoria Sears Goldman, Jan. 9, 2015, in CMA curatorial file
    Estate of Noah L. Butkin, Bequests to Cleveland Museum of Art as a result of disclaimer by Murel S. Butkin. Estates, Gifts, and Funds, Series 1, Box 2:14. Cleveland Museum of Art Archives.
    Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1980.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 68, no. 6 (June 1981): 163–219. Mentioned: p. 213, no. 73 www.jstor.org
    Argencourt, Louise d', and Roger Diederen. Catalogue of Paintings. Pt. 4. European Paintings of the 19th Century. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1974. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 603-604, Vol. II, no. 212
  • Year in Review: 1980. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (June 24-July 19, 1981).
  • {{cite web|title=Construction of an Elevated Railway: Bridge over the Cours de Vincennes|url=false|author=Paul Désiré Trouillebert|year=1888|access-date=26 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1980.289