Plague-doctor Courier on Canal Bridge

A plague-doctor courier pauses mid-stride on a narrow canal footbridge at night, lantern lifted in a gloved hand and the mood elegant, secretive, and expectant. The beak mask reads as worn leather in sepia brown and the canvas satchel shows wax seals and rough stitching, while riveted metal and a blank brass tab read as cold, aged brass. Focus sits on the courier and satchel with shallow plane separation; the scene uses a calm, low-contrast grade with warm amber lamplight and cool navy-blue fog creating balanced warmth and cool bias and a subtle outline glow around silhouettes. The canal water holds pearlescent-silver pinpoints and soft ripples that mirror the bridge lamps, while a riveted mailbox plate bears the exact wording "RAVENLETTER EXPRESS — NIGHT DISPATCH" and an unlettered brass tab reserved for a headline. The composition fits a vertical 2:3 crop with the courier slightly off-center, clean negative space above the bridge for a breathing area and visible canal below for depth. Rendered as a cinematic photographic still with filmic grain, polished textures, and painterly fall color grading.