Charles Meryon (1821-1868), together with Eugène Bléry, is amongst the first artists to receive major recognition for their etchings in 19th century France.  But while the latter was conservative in his subjects, Meryon was anything but.  Meryon suffered from hallucinations and his work reflects a dark outlook on life.  His etching, almost always pure line etchings, mostly show cities; the city or Paris in particular.  In these cityscapes, shadows lurk and ominous birds circle the skies.  However, these stylistic choices do not obscure his ability to select surprising perspectives and depict his moody scenes with finesse.  He is today still very much recognized as the artist who pushed the greatest number of French artists to rediscover the phenomenal possibilities offered by etching.