Browse Items (1079 total)
A Conqueror of the Bastille Speaks July 14, 1789
Having assembled at the traditional protest place in front of the City Hall, known as place des grèves (meaning sandbar, which it was, but which has come to mean "strike"), the crowd set off in search of ammunition. Eventually arriving at the…
Parisian Riots on 14 July July 14, 1789
As demonstrations spread across Paris on the morning of 14 July, Pierre–Victor Besenval, commander of the royal soldiers stationed in the capital, contemplated ordering his men to suppress the protests. However, as reports poured in from across the…
The Fall of the Bastille. July 14, 1789
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Demolition of the Bastille 1789
This watercolor painting illustrates the "demolition" of what the text refers to as the "horrible prison" of the Bastille. As workmen tear down the spires on the roof, ordinary people rip stones off the base. These stones soon became collectors’…
The Prince de Condé and the Comte d’Artois emigrate. July 17, 1789
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The Day of 21 July 1789; Scaling and Pillaging of the Hotel de Ville in Strasbourg 1789
More common than clashes by workers against employers were protests over the rising price of bread. This color drawing depicts events at the City Hall of Strasbourg on 21 July 1789. Notice that the protesters are tearing up the roof and throwing the…
Punishment of Foulon 1789
Like the preceding image, this engraving reveals the aftermath of the seizure of the Bastille. Here the crowd parades the severed head of the offial, Foulon.