Paris under Snow (1890): Art, History and Details

Paris under Snow (1890) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Auguste Louis Lepère (French, 1849–1918).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Wood engraving was perfected about 1770 in England by Thomas Bewick (1753–1828). Since the end grain of a hard wood is used, the block can be engraved with a sharp instrument called a burin, making closely set lines possible and producing a great range of textures and tones. The surface of the block is inked and printed so that the engraved lines appear as white areas. The strength of the block meant that numerous impressions could be printed. Wood engraving thus became a principal method for illustrating books and newspapers in the 19th century. Lepère developed an extraordinary mastery of wood engraving, which he used to effectively describe a snowy view of central Paris. The confetti-like snowflakes silhouetted against the dark river, and the overall blurring effect caused by the snowfall in the distance, are a tour de force.

Object facts

• Title: Paris under Snow
• Date: 1890
• Creator attribution: Auguste Louis Lepère (French, 1849–1918)
• Culture: France, 19th century
• Type: Print
• Technique: wood engraving
• Dimensions: Border: 30.2 x 45.4 cm (11 7/8 x 17 7/8 in.)
• Collection: PR - Wood engraving
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1947.138

Collection credit

Gift of Mrs. Malcolm L. McBride

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.