Henri Voisin, Etching Of Mont Saint-michel, King's Tower And The Arcade, Seawall At High Tide

A beautiful etching in a slightly brownish hue depicting the King's Tower and the Arch Tower at Mont Saint-Michel at high tide. In the lower left corner, within the depression, a small engraving shows these same two towers at low tide with the title: "The Dyke." The artist's signature is present in the lower left margin. Born in August 1861 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, Henri Voisin, after studying at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris from 1880 to 1886, devoted his artistic life to engraving and etching. An engraver, but also an illustrator, painter, and sculptor, he exhibited his works in some fifty salons, both in France and abroad. In 1885, he visited Mont Saint-Michel and fell completely in love with it. He rented a house there so he could draw and engrave the abbey, the village, the ramparts, and the bay. Concerned with ensuring the preservation of this site, in December 1911, with the help of Paul Deschanel, he founded the Friends of Mont-Saint-Michel association. Recognized as a public utility in 1918 by President Raymond Poincaré, he served as its secretary general for 27 years. In 1938, his tireless efforts in defending Mont-Saint-Michel earned him the Knight's Cross of the Legion of Honor. He died in 1945.