Who painted Cholera in Paris?

Cholera in Paris was painted by Nicolas-François Chifflart in 1865.

Where can I see Cholera in Paris?

Cholera in Paris is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

What movement is Cholera in Paris?

Cholera in Paris is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

Cholera in Paris

Nicolas-François Chifflart , 1865

Cholera in Paris is a print by the Impressionist artist Nicolas-François Chifflart. It dates from 1865 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

You see a dark, crowded street in Paris—people in long coats, faces half-hidden, rushing past sickly figures wrapped in blankets.

You see a dark, crowded street in Paris—people in long coats, faces half-hidden, rushing past sickly figures wrapped in blankets.

Chifflart made this in 1865, when cholera swept through France. He drew directly on copper plates, letting the lines stay loose and quick, like a sketch. The small size makes you lean in, as if peering into a private moment of fear.

For more prints like this, look up *chiaroscuro*—the way light and shadow push emotion without color.

Overview

Created in 1865, this copperplate print by François‑Nicolas Chifflart captures a bustling Parisian street during the cholera epidemic that struck France that year. Rendered on a modestly sized sheet, the image invites close inspection, presenting a scene of hurried figures in long coats passing by individuals wrapped in blankets, suggesting the pervasive anxiety of the outbreak.

Subject & Meaning

The composition portrays a crowded thoroughfare where anonymity and urgency dominate; most faces are partially obscured, emphasizing collective unease rather than individual stories. The presence of sickly, blanket‑bound figures amid the flow of passersby underscores the tension between daily life and the looming threat of disease, reflecting contemporary concerns about public health and social disruption.

Technique & Style

Chifflart worked directly on a prepared copper plate, employing a rapid, sketch‑like line that retains the spontaneity of a paper drawing. This approach, characteristic of the mid‑19th‑century etching revival, yields a loose, expressive quality. The intimate scale and the stark contrast of dark masses against lighter spaces enhance the immediacy of the scene, encouraging the viewer to lean in for detailed observation.

History & Provenance

The print belongs to Chifflart’s 1865 series titled Improvisations on Copper, a body of work that explored the possibilities of direct drawing on metal. Produced during the height of the cholera crisis, the image served both as a documentary record and an artistic response. It remains in the collection of several European institutions, reflecting its continued relevance to studies of 19th‑century French printmaking.