Artwork
La Morgue
La Morgue is a print by the Impressionist artist Edmond Gosselin. It dates from 1881 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created around 1881 by French artist Edmond Gosselin, La Morgue is a black‑and‑white print that belongs to the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The work presents a densely built urban street scene rendered entirely in line, without any use of colour.
Subject & Meaning
Figures populate the space: pedestrians converse, workers tend windows, laundry hangs from balconies, and a horse‑drawn cart rests near a shop sign.
The composition depicts a bustling thoroughfare lined with narrow, multistoried façades. Figures populate the space: pedestrians converse, workers tend windows, laundry hangs from balconies, and a horse‑drawn cart rests near a shop sign. A small boat is moored at the water’s edge, adding a hint of river traffic. The title suggests a reference to a Parisian morgue, inviting a juxtaposition of ordinary city life with the unsettling notion of bodies displayed for identification.
Technique & Style
Gosselin employed a linear drawing technique typical of late‑19th‑century printmaking, using dense cross‑hatching and contour lines to convey texture and depth. The absence of colour emphasizes the architectural rhythm and the movement of the crowd, while the stark monochrome palette enhances the work’s atmospheric tension.
History & Provenance
The print was produced circa 1881, a period when urban scenes were popular subjects for French artists documenting modern life. It entered the Cleveland Museum of Art’s holdings through acquisition, though the precise details of its purchase are not publicly recorded.
Context
During the 1880s, Paris underwent rapid transformation under Haussmann’s renovations, creating new streets and public spaces that attracted artistic attention. Gosselin’s depiction reflects this urban density, while the implied morgue reference alludes to contemporary concerns about public health and the visibility of death in the modern city.
Artist & collection
Etchings of Paris: The Mortuary
The Mortuary, Paris
Rue des Marmousets (Old Paris)
Rue du Coq St. Jean
La Rue Pirouette aux halles, Paris (Pirouette Street, Near the Markets, Paris)
Eaux-Fortes sur le Vieux Paris: Ancienne école de médecine rue de la Bûcherie (Etchings of Old Paris: Former Medical School, rue de la Bucherie)
Pirouette Street, near the Markets, Paris