An Alleyway between Houses 1858

Theodore Rousseau created this drawing of an alleyway between houses on paper, using graphite. The visible grid suggests a mechanical aid – perhaps a camera lucida, or a gridded glass pane – that would allow accurate transcription of the scene. The very act of drawing in this way, mediated by a technology, speaks to the Industrial Revolution then underway. Rousseau and his contemporaries were deeply concerned with the relationship between hand and machine. In the drawing we can see Rousseau balancing a desire for accurate visual accounting with a delicate sensibility. The image is not just recorded, but also felt. Consider how the humble materials – paper and pencil – can also reflect social and economic realities. Though modest in its making, this drawing invites us to contemplate the transformations occurring in 19th-century Europe, blurring lines between observation, representation, and industrialization.