1854
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
La morgue, Paris (The Mortuary) is a 1854 ink by Charles Meryon, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a busy Paris street packed with tall, narrow buildings. People are scattered everywhere—some sit on a ledge above the water, others work by boats, and a few stand near the shore. The rooftops are cluttered with odd shapes like hay bales and strange towers, while the water below is full of docked boats and laundry hanging to dry. The artist used fine lines to capture every detail, from the texture of the buildings to the folds in the clothes. This style highlights how crowded and messy daily life was in Paris at the time. Next, check out etching to see how artists create sharp, detailed prints 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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