Who painted The Haunted House?

The Haunted House was painted by Rodolphe Bresdin in 1871.

Where can I see The Haunted House?

The Haunted House is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is The Haunted House?

The Haunted House is associated with Impressionism.

Can I buy a print of The Haunted House?

Museum-quality prints of The Haunted House are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

The Haunted House

Rodolphe Bresdin , 1871

The Haunted House is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Rodolphe Bresdin. It dates from 1871 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1871, The Haunted House is a lithographic print by French draughtsman Rodolphe Bresdin (1822–1885). The image presents a dilapidated structure crowned with odd towers and arched openings, its interior illuminated by a solitary candle that reveals faint, ghostly figures. The surrounding ground is populated with miniature sheep, birds and tiny human forms, arranged like scattered toys.

Subject & Meaning

The composition juxtaposes a decaying, almost gothic house with pastoral and whimsical elements, suggesting a tension between ruin and vitality. The candle‑lit interior and the presence of diminutive, toy‑like figures evoke a dreamlike, perhaps unsettling narrative, inviting viewers to contemplate the coexistence of the grotesque and the serene within a single space.

Technique & Style

Bresdin employed lithography’s capacity for fine line work and tonal variation, using stark shadows and rough, expressive strokes to convey texture and atmosphere. The print’s intricate detailing of tiny creatures contrasts with broad, empty areas, enhancing the eerie, otherworldly mood while showcasing the artist’s penchant for elaborate, fantastical imagery.

History & Provenance

Bresdin, active in the mid‑nineteenth‑century Parisian bohemian circles that included Charles Baudelaire and Victor Hugo, produced the work during a period marked by personal wandering and hardship. While specific ownership records are limited, the print reflects the artist’s broader output of detailed, dreamlike compositions that blend the grotesque with pastoral motifs.

Context

The lithograph emerges from a time when French printmakers were exploring new visual vocabularies beyond academic norms. Bresdin’s affiliation with avant‑garde literary figures and his unconventional lifestyle informed his imaginative approach, aligning his work with the Symbolist interest in the uncanny and the subconscious.