Marcel Prud'homme (1877–1955) - Panorama of Paris

Marcel Georges Prud’homme
(Paris, 1877 – ?, 1955)

Panorama of Paris with the Institut de France and the Pont des Arts

Ink and wash on paper
Signed and dated lower right
18 x 26 cm without frame
May 1907

Born in Paris (2nd arrondissement) on January 16, 1877, Marcel Georges Prud’homme was the son of Henri Prud’homme, a hardware merchant, and Laure Louise Michon.

Initially trained in the preparatory workshop of Jules Godefroy and Eugène Freynet, he continued his studies at the École des Beaux-Arts in the studio of Jean-Louis Pascal. After a first attempt at admission in February 1896, he was admitted in the second class on July 31, 1896, notably winning a third-class medal in architectural history exercises. Promoted to first class on March 5, 1901, he won his first medal for a completed project and graduated on November 17, 1905 (71st graduating class) with a project entitled "A Ballroom."

An architect and urban planner based in Paris (6th arrondissement), he became the son-in-law and successor of Paul Langlois (1845–1914), an architect in Paris and architect for the city of Thiais, a position Prud'homme later assumed.

His talents as a draftsman and watercolorist earned him several participations in the Salon des Artistes Français:
• 1903 – Pompeii, travel sketches
• 1904 – Travel souvenirs (Northern Italy)
• 1907 – The theater of Taormina
• 1911 – The church of Chamigny (Seine-et-Marne)
• 1913 – Two watercolors: The entrance to the Alyscamps, in Arles – The Flavien Bridge, in Saint-Chamas
• Other subjects: The ramparts of Aigues-Mortes; Place Saint-Michel in May 1906; Middelburg Town Hall (Netherlands).

A member of the Society of Government-Certified Architects (S.A.D.G.) since 1906, he was still listed in the 1951 directory and became an honorary member in 1953. He taught at the École des Beaux-Arts as a professor and assistant workshop leader in the Expert workshop.

In 1935, he was among the founding members and the first president of the “Line and Color” group, bringing together architects and artists around the practice of drawing and watercolor.

Holder of the distinctions of Officer of the Academy and Officer of Public Instruction, Marcel Georges Prud’homme died in March 1955.

Sources:
National Archives of France, student file AJ/52/410 — Delaire, Government-Certified Architects.