Untitled (Alleyway with View of a Harbor)

Blanche Dillaye

1885

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century Cityscape street

About this work

This etching shows a narrow alley sloping down to a busy harbor. The lines are scratchy and uneven, like quick pen strokes. You can almost feel the salty breeze off the water. Blanche Dillaye used a drypoint needle to scratch the metal plate. That’s why the shadows look so soft and the light so sharp. She didn’t smooth the lines—she let them stay rough. Try making your own drypoint at home. Look up Dillaye, Blanche.