Artwork
La morgue, Paris (The Mortuary)
La morgue, Paris (The Mortuary) is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Charles Meryon. It dates from 1854 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Meryon’s careful line work renders everyday urban activity without any colour, emphasizing the stark atmosphere of mid‑nineteenth‑century Paris.
Created in 1854, *La morgue, Paris (The Mortuary)* is a black‑and‑white print that captures a narrow Parisian street beside the river. The composition is densely packed with tall, close‑set buildings, laundry hanging from windows, and a small boat moving in the foreground. Meryon’s careful line work renders everyday urban activity without any colour, emphasizing the stark atmosphere of mid‑nineteenth‑century Paris.
Subject & Meaning
The image presents a typical street scene rather than a staged tableau, highlighting the routine of city life: pedestrians on a cramped sidewalk, a laborer bearing a bundle, and laundry strung across windows. By focusing on these ordinary details, the work conveys the gritty, lived reality of Paris’s lower quarters, aligning with Meryon’s broader interest in the city’s architectural density and somber mood.
Technique & Style
Meryon employed both etching and drypoint on laid paper, combining the crisp, controlled lines of etched plates with the softer, burr‑rich marks of drypoint. This dual approach allows for fine architectural detail alongside subtle tonal variations. The absence of colour and reliance on precise black lines underscore the artist’s Gothic sensibility and his preference for stark, atmospheric renderings of urban space.
History & Provenance
Charles Meryon, a leading French etcher of the 19th century, produced the print during a period when his colour blindness directed his practice toward monochrome media. *La morgue, Paris* forms part of a series of views that document the city’s historic fabric. The work has been held in several public collections, reflecting its status as a representative example of Meryon’s printmaking output.
Artist & collection
Artist
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.
