Entrance to Cloisters, St. Maclou, Rouen

About 1860, Ernest George, then a young architect, went on a study tour of France and Germany, where he imbibed the historical styles that would serve him well throughout his successful career. We do not know if he made this watercolor at that time or if it came later, but its small scale suggests that it comes from an easily transportable sketchbook. Rouen is famous for its Gothic architecture and must have been a pilgrimage destination for the architect seeking inspiration from the past. The Church of St. Maclou is a wonder of the soaring flamboyant style, but the cloister complex—a rectangle of buildings surrounding a courtyard—is entirely different. The rugged patterning of its half-timbered facade is a delightful change of pace for many visitors, apparently to George as well.