Shady faces

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This picture was taken from Contes Drolatiques (Droll Stories), by H. de Balzac, illustrated by Gustave Doré Paris, 1881 (tenth edition).

This illustration is also available as a poster print.

Description:
Approximately ten male characters are pressed together, showing only a bunch of grinning and grotesque faces. Their features, half buried in the shadows, are outlined in white against a black background, which makes them seem even more disturbing.
This engraving illustrates a paragraph of the story entitled How The Chateau d'Azay Came To Be Built, where one of the characters, nearly unconscious, sees people who think he's dead leaning over him.

How The Chateau d'Azay Came To Be Built is available from Project Gutenberg

Keywords: face, Doré, shadow, characters