Mathurins (Jack Tars) - from: Art et Nature

Eugene Boudin

Eugene Boudin was known to have only made three prints, "Mathurins" being one of them. It was possibly commissioned by the art historian, critic, and writer Leon Roger-Miles when he published "Art et nature: etudes breves sur quelques artistes d'hier et d'aujourd'hui" ("Art and Nature: Brief Studies on Some Artists of Yesterday and Today") in 1897, one year before Boudin's death.

Also included in the book were original prints by Pissarro, Sisley, Forain, Lebourg, Roll, Puvis de Chavannes, Daugbigny, Rounouard, Diaz, Jacques, Besnard, Cazin, and more. In total, 500 books were printed on Marais velin paper and bound by the Boudet workshop in Paris, and another 25 impressions on Japanese paper were given to the artists.

"Mathurin" is a French word for sailor; its frequent translation into British English is "jack tar", a slang term for seamen of the Merchant or Royal Navy.