Once Upon a Midnight Dreary. Illustration to The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe 1875

Edouard Manet made this lithograph illustrating Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" at an unknown date. The Paris of Manet's time was a place of social upheaval, with writers and artists often challenging traditional norms through their work. This image, with its stark contrasts and dramatic lighting, perfectly embodies the poem's themes of loss and the supernatural. The dark shadows enveloping the scene evoke the brooding atmosphere of Poe's verse, reflecting a broader cultural fascination with the macabre. Manet's choice to illustrate Poe, an American writer, also speaks to the increasing artistic exchange between Europe and the United States. Understanding this artwork requires us to look at the cultural and literary contexts of 19th-century France. The resources available in archives, libraries, and museums would enable us to understand its position better. This reminds us that artworks are not created in a vacuum but are products of specific social and historical conditions.