Bridge of Sighs, Venice

Painter and printmaker Frank Duveneck was a pivotal figure in the community of American artists working in Venice in the late nineteenth century. After training at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, he moved to Italy, oscillating between Florence and Venice with a tight circle of friends and students. Their group, mostly young men who shared scant financial resources, earned the nickname "the Duveneck Boys," and they honed their art skills by depicting a range of subjects, including architecture and human figures. This etching of the famed Bridge of Sighs balances these elements to capture the recognizable landmark and the experience of viewing it firsthand, with narrow passageways and embankments crowded with passing residents.