Tourelle, Rue de l'École de Médecine, 22, Paris (House with a Turret, No. 22, Street of the School of Medecine, Paris)

Meryon employed both traditional etching and the more immediate drypoint method, allowing for crisp, precise lines that render each brick and wooden ornament with a near‑three‑dimensional quality. The drypoint’s burr creates subtle tonal variations, while the etched sky is rendered with looser, more expressive strokes, contrasting the architectural rigidity with atmospheric fluidity.

Charles Meryon, a French artist whose work focused almost exclusively on etching due to his colour‑blindness, produced this piece as part of a series of Paris views that reflect his Gothic‑inflected vision of the city. Though celebrated in France as the leading 19th‑century etcher, his reputation remained relatively modest in English‑speaking circles during his lifetime.

The print belongs to a broader body of work in which Meryon documented the urban landscape of mid‑19th‑century Paris, a period marked by Haussmann’s extensive renovations. His emphasis on narrow, medieval‑type streets and ornate details offers a counterpoint to the era’s push toward modernization and wide boulevards.