Shipping in the harbour of Marseille

In the 18th and 19th centuries Marseille was a thriving port with ships calling there from all over the world, making it an ideal place for a workshop of maritime artists such as the Roux dynasty, with the family benefiting from the patronage of huge numbers of mercantile officers who visited the city. Amongst these men were American sea-captains who commissioned a large number of ship portraits and many of their works remain in America today.