Twelve Etchings from Nature: Street in Saverne
1858
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1858
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a narrow street in the French town of Saverne, drawn in fine black lines on white paper. The scene is quiet: a few figures walk, a dog sniffs the ground, and bare trees lean over the buildings. Whistler made this etching when he was just 24. He was living in Paris but hadn’t yet become known for his moody night scenes. The lines here are light and quick, almost like a sketch you’d do in a notebook. If you like this, look up *sfumato*—a soft, smoky way of blending tones that Whistler later used in his paintings.
![House of Dante da Castiglione [Casa di Dante da Castiglione]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/92db125a9a8d04db/thumb.webp)
![Nel Villaggio [In the Village]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/10a7e8daffe9adf4/thumb.webp)
