La Roche qui pleure, forêt de Fontainebleau.
Painted by Antoine-Achille Poupart after an oil on paper by Develly. 1838.

The Weeping Rock is located in the Franchard Gorges, a part of the Fontainebleau Forest known for its remarkably shaped sandstone blocks. The water streaming down this rock is said to cure eye ailments. The miraculous properties of this water had made the Weeping Rock a place of pilgrimage, visited on Whit Tuesday. But in the 19th century, artists and tourists replaced the pious devotees, and the first guides to hiking in the forest were published. In 1849, the railway reached Fontainebleau, allowing Parisians to visit it on day trips. The many postcards depicting the Weeping Rock in the early days of photography confirm its enduring popularity.