Edouard Manet, The Kearsarge at Boulogne (1864) and The Battle of the Kearsarge and the Alabama (1865)

Manet depicts a battle scene from the American Civil War, The Kearsarge at Boulogne, an image of Union cruiser USS Kearsarge, the winner in the Battle of Cherbourg.  He did not witness this battle but visited the scene a month later. This oil on canvas was probably based on a watercolor he made of it and was first exhibited in Paris in 1865 as La mer, la navire federal Kerseage en race de Boulogne-sure mer.  In France the ship was known as Kerseage while in the U.S. it was Kearsarge.

Manet, The Kearsarge at Boulogne, 1864

detail of The Kearsarge at Boulogne, altered image reveals color variations and textures

In 1865, Manet also painted The Battle of the Kearsarge and the Alabama.  In 1872, the French novelist Jules-Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly said of this painting, "the sea (...) is more frightening than the battle".

Manet, The Battle of the Kearsarge and the Alabama, 1865 

 Together these paintings commemorate the 1864 battle there when the USS Kearsarge sank the Confederate ship CSS Alabama off the coast of France.  It was a headlining and widely covered event.  

Since he was not there for the battle, Manet used press descriptions of the scene to reference his work.  These battle scene depictions were the first paintings that Manet ever made of a contemporary event.

Painting dimensions:
The Kearsarge at Boulogne, 32 1/8 x 39 3/8 in
The Battle of the Kearsarge and the Alabama, 53 in x 50 in