LEBRETON, L. - Malte Vue prise de la Mer. - Malta Vista lomada del mar.

Very decorative view of the Grand Harbour of Malta by Louis Lebreton, published in "Ports de Mer d’Europe" in 1859 by L. Turgis in Paris.
This lithography shows in the foreground a lively view with British merchant ships amidst local boats transporting goods to and from the Maltese islands.

Louis LeBreton was a surgeon in the French Navy from 1836-1848. During that period he made several very long expeditions including Dumont d'Urville's second circumnavigation (1837-1840) aboard the Astrolabe.
This gave Lebreton the opportunity to bring back drawings and watercolors depicting landscapes discovered. He exhibited in the Salon de Paris from 1841 to 1848. From 1847 he devoted himself exclusively to depicting marine subjects.