1856
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
San Francisco is a 1856 by Charles Meryon, a Impressionism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This drawing shows a wide view of a city built on hills, with small houses packed together. A river runs through the bottom, and ships sit in the harbor on the right. People and animals move along the streets, but everything looks quiet and orderly. The artist added two odd figures at the bottom—one holding a shield with the city’s name. The drawing was made long before photography became common, so it’s a rare look at how people imagined a place they’d never seen. If you like this style, check out Realism to see more works that focus on everyday scenes like this one.
Charles Meryon (sometimes Méryon, 23 November 1821 – 14 February 1868) was a French artist who worked almost entirely in etching, as he had colour blindness.
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