The Card Sharp on the Boulevard
1806 National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
About this artwork
This oil painting on canvas depicts a street scene where a card sharp swindles passersby on a busy Paris boulevard. It is part of the collection at the National Gallery of Art.
Did you know?
Louis-Léopold Boilly was famous for his meticulous documentation of Parisian daily life during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era. This painting serves as a window into the urban street culture of the time, capturing the illicit gambling activities that were prevalent in public spaces like the Boulevard du Temple. Boilly's keen eye for character and social dynamics turned ordinary scenes of the street into compelling narratives of morality and human behavior.
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The Card Sharp on the Boulevard
Louis-Léopold Boilly, 1806
