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The image is a sketch of an alleyway viewed from a slightly elevated angle. The scene shows buildings lining the narrow path, drawing the eye upwards. In the foreground, there is a group of figures and a solitary figure walking away. The pencil work is soft and sketchy, with varying intensities of graphite creating light and shadow. The composition is in shades of gray, with a monochromatic color palette emphasizing light and shadow. The background is indistinct, blending buildings and figures into a hazy suggestion of architecture and life.
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The image is a sketch of an alleyway viewed from a slightly elevated angle. The scene shows buildings lining the narrow path, drawing the eye upwards. In the foreground, there is a group of figures and a solitary figure walking away. The pencil work is soft and sketchy, with varying intensities of graphite creating light and shadow. The composition is in shades of gray, with a monochromatic color palette emphasizing light and shadow. The background is indistinct, blending buildings and figures into a hazy suggestion of architecture and life.

National Gallery of Art · Drawing

A Backstreet in London

Gustave Doré

Date
1868
Medium
graphite with stumping on wove paper
Dimensions
sheet: 27.7 x 20.9 cm (10 7/8 x 8 1/4 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Accession number
2008.73.1
Credit line
Gift in Memory of Philip Leonard
Time span
1851 to 1875
Department
CG-E
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • Street
  • Seated figure
  • Figures
Provenance

(James Mackinnon, London); purchased 2008 by NGA.

NGA object ID 141211. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.