The prolific Roux family of French marine painters produced no less than six practitioners of ship portraiture. Working mainly in watercolor, the family produced throughout the 19th century an amazing output totaling over 7000 pictures.

Francois Geoffroi Roux was the youngest of the Roux family. He is noted for painting more ambitious themes than his siblings and developing works more abundant in detail. His brush technique pushed the limits of the medium without losing the freshness of color or vigor of execution that set his work apart.

Early in this century, as marine research began to gain in importance, paintings by the Roux family began to emerge and were considered invaluable for their accurate depictions of 19th centur...