Tourelle de la Rue de la Tixéranderie, Paris (House with a Turret, Weavers' Street, Paris)
1852
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1852
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This sketch shows a narrow Paris street packed with tall, crooked buildings. A tower with a pointed roof crowds the center, its brickwork detailed down to the cracks. Windows are small, some with shutters open, others closed. People walk below, tiny against the towering walls. The street is lined with trees and lampposts, and the whole scene feels cramped and alive. Notice how the artist used sharp lines to show every brick and beam—this was done by scratching into the metal plate before printing. The focus on real, everyday buildings was new at the time. Look up etching to see how artists like this made prints by hand.
