Francois-Geoffroi Roux (French, 1811-1882), "The William Tell of New Orleans", 1840, watercolor on paper, signed and dated "Aout 1840" in the image, lower right, and titled, located and dated on painted inscription in lower margin, sight 17 1/2 in. x 22 1/4 in., approximate sheet 18 in. x 22 3/4 in., in original black-painted frame E12000-18000 Provenance: Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow, Jr. (1854- 1934), Boston, MA. (his handwritten name and address, at 66 Beacon Street, on late 19th or early 20th c. card en verso). Note: Fran‡ois Roux was one of the most prominent of a three-generation dynasty of Marseilles ship painters. His grandfather Joseph (1725-1793), as well as his father Ange-Joseph-Antoine (1765-1835), pioneered the family trade, and the latter especially made their shop "so popular with American shipowners and captains that, it is said, newly built ships not destined for the Mediterranean trade would still make a first voyage to Marseilles to have their portrait done by Roux before going on their way elsewhere" (Edgar P. Richardson, American Paintings in Winterthur, Charlottesville, 1986, p. 136). Although his brothers Mathieu-Antoine and Joseph-Fr‚d‚ric mainly worked in Paris and Le Havre, Fran‡ois also studied in the atelier of Claude Vernet in Paris, but returned to lead the family shop, as one of the most talented French masters of this genre. Seventy-one of his paintings tracing the development of ship-building are in the Mus‚e de la Marine in Paris. This exceptionally fine and detailed image-which is unusual in having such numerous and active human figures (as for example those on the top-yard of the foremast)-is inscribed by the artist "William Tell, of New Orleans. D. Bradford, Master. Marseilles 1840." On its reverse is an apparently autograph ownership label of A. W. Longfellow Jr., nephew of the famous poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. His father (the poet's brother) worked with the then U. S. Coast Survey, and inculcated in his son a lifelong love of nautical subjects. "Waddy," the owner of this impressive drawing, was a prominent architect, as well as a founder of the Boston Society of Arts and Crafts, and was long active in the Marine Museum of the Bostonian Society (Friends of Longfellow House, Archive Holdings / Museum Collections Summary, Longfellow National Historic Site, Cambridge, MA).