At the window ("Open here I flung the shutter..."), from The Raven (Le Corbeau)

At the window ("Open here I flung the shutter..."), from The Raven (Le Corbeau) is a defining transfer lithograph created by Édouard Manet in 1875. This significant piece is one of six illustrations Manet produced for the seminal French edition of Edgar Allan Poe’s celebrated poem, translated by the Symbolist poet Stéphane Mallarmé. This artistic collaboration, uniting a leading Impressionist with the American master of the macabre and the visionary French poet, resulted in one of the most important artists’ books published in 19th-century France.

The transfer lithograph technique, meticulously printed in black ink on gray China paper by Lefman et Cie., allowed Manet to achieve rich, subtle atmospheric effects suitable for Poe’s somber narrative. The print directly references the dramatic climax of the poem, capturing the interior space of the narrator’s chamber just as he forces open the shutter, anticipating the dreaded presence of the bird.

Manet’s illustration relies heavily on stark contrasts of shadow and light, defining the tormented figure of the narrator against the mysterious void glimpsed through the opening. The economy of line and the suggestive quality of the composition demonstrate the artist’s mastery of graphic media, solidifying his reputation beyond painting. The work’s publication, overseen by Richard Lesclide, highlights a crucial period of cross-cultural artistic exchange. This exceptional example from the history of prints resides in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.