Demolitions pour la Perement du Boulevard St. Germain
1874
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1874
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
This sketch shows a busy construction site in an old city. Buildings are being torn down, leaving piles of rubble and broken stone. Workers are scattered around, using tools and carts to clear the area. In the background, a mix of old and new structures stand—some crumbling, others still intact. A crane looms over the scene, and smoke rises from distant chimneys. The title hints this is Paris, where streets were being rebuilt in the 1800s. The artist focused on the gritty reality of demolition, not just the final result. Next, check out Realism to see how artists showed everyday life plainly.
![The House with the Peristyle [right]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/cf0cd6107c62f5a1/thumb.webp)
