This etching is among the most expansive views of Meryon’s Paris prints and contains more narrative detail than the majority of the works in the series. 

Charles Meryon

Etching and drypoint

According to the art critic Philippe Burty, Meryon used a camera lucida in the production of this print. This optical instrument was invented in 1807 to facilitate the accurate sketching of objects. It consists of a four-sided prism mounted on a small stand above a sheet of paper. By placing the eye close to the upper edge of the prism so that half of the pupil of the eye is over the prism, the artist is able to see a reflected image of the object that appears to be lying on the paper. Meryon used the camera lucida to trace the image of his subject onto paper, but then altered several details to make the scene fit his personal vision.

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. Although now little-known in the English-speaking world, he is generally recognized as the most significant etcher of 19th century France. His most famous works are a series of views powerfully conveying his distinctive Gothic vision of Paris. He also had mental illness, dying in an asylum.