Rooftops

c. 1840

Hippolyte Louis Fizeau

Associated Names
Hippolyte Louis Fizeau

Artist, French, 1819 - 1896

The image is a rooftop view of a dense urban area, likely taken from an elevated position. The horizon shows a line of buildings creating an uneven skyline with chimneys and architectural details. The color palette is monochromatic with tones of black, white, and gray. Closest to us are rooftops with weather-worn tiles and chimneys. In the distance, buildings fade into the sky. The style is photographic, utilizing grain and contrast for mood and structure.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    photogravure

  • Credit Line

    Alfred H. Moses and Fern M. Schad Fund

  • Dimensions

    image: 6.9 × 9.3 cm (2 11/16 × 3 11/16 in.)
    sheet: 14.1 × 17.6 cm (5 9/16 × 6 15/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2023.33.3

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Adrien de Jussieu (1797-1853); Family of Adrien de Jessieu; possibly (sale, Etude Le Mouel, Paris, 12 December 1997). (Hans P. Kraus, Jr., New York); NGA purchase, 2023.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2023

  • Etched by Light: Photogravures from the Collection, 1840 – 1940, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2023 - 2024

Inscriptions

by unknown hand, in graphite, lower left corner of sheet: 6; center bottom of sheet: 25 [underlined]; on verso, lower left corner: x2857

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