Taking of the Bastille Still Image

Crowds storm the Bastille fortress under cannon smoke, fighting royal soldiers with muskets, swords, and pikes beneath a red banner as the towering prison looms above the chaotic street battle.
Engraving depicting armed Parisian crowds storming the Bastille fortress on July 14, 1789, with smoke, gunfire, and flags amid chaos at the prison's entrance.

Dublin Core

Title

Taking of the Bastille

Description

This color print emphasizes the populace’s participation in the storming of the Bastille, showing the urban population fighting under a red banner with muskets, swords, and pikes against the royal soldiers. Stunning images such as these—as well as dramatic press reports—contributed to what has become the widespread view that the taking of the Bastille was a spontaneous, brave, and widely popular revolt against royal authority.

Creator

Jean-François Janinet

Source

Bibliothèque Nationale de France

Date

1789-1791

Rights

Public Domain

Relation

http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/45/|de Vinck. Un siècle d'histoire de France par l'estampe, 1770-1870. Vol. 10 (pièces 1571-1762), Ancien Régime et Révolution|Extracted from: Gravures historiques des principaux événemens depuis l'ouverture des Etats-Généraux de 1789

Format

JPEG

Language

French

Identifier

45

Still Image Item Type Metadata

Original Format

Engraving

Physical Dimensions

19.5 x 23.5 cm

Title (French)

Prise de la Bastille

Citation

Jean-François Janinet, “Taking of the Bastille,” LIBERTY, EQUALITY, FRATERNITY: EXPLORING THE FRENCH REVOUTION, accessed November 9, 2026, https://revolution.chnm.org/d/45.