The Haunted House

Rodolphe Bresdin

National Gallery of Art

This print depicts an ornate building resembling a mansion or estate. The building is centrally positioned and dominates the scene with its roofline, turrets, and chimneys. Detailed vegetation surrounds the building, the dark leaves blending into the architecture. At the bottom of the print, animals including cows, goats, and chickens graze in front of a gated fence. A woman and child stand among the animals, the woman wearing a dress and a large hat and holding a parasol. Faint, wispy clouds fill the sky above, with countless dark birds flying above the house and resting on the roof. Upon closer inspection, more people become visible, looking out of windows and balconies at the top of the house. Some of these people appear translucent, with parts of the architecture visible through them.