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Finance Ministry, Burned. Exterior View

Author Alfred d'Aunay French
1871
Not on view
Even in our own era, when the medium is ubiquitous, we remain captivated by photographs of the disasters of war, the devastation of natural disasters, or the shape of a local catastrophe. Is it to preserve history, remember suffering, advocate for reconstruction--or is it the same strange impulse that compels one to slow down and look at the wreckage of an accident on the highway? For whatever reason, there was a huge demand for images of the ruins of post-Commune Paris. Liébert was but one of many photographers who toured the city recording the government buildings, houses, factories, and fortifications reduced to rubble. His hundred-print series, usually found in a set of two leather-bound albums with an accompanying text that showed little sympathy for the Communards, was clearly aimed at a well-to-do audience, but other photographers produced inexpensive stereographs and cartes de visite that could be purchased by a wide audience.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Finance Ministry, Burned. Exterior View
  • Artist: Alphonse J. Liébert (French, 1827–1913)
  • Author: Alfred d'Aunay (French)
  • Date: 1871
  • Medium: Albumen silver print from glass negative
  • Dimensions: Images approx.: 19 x 25 cm (7 1/2 x 9 13/16 in.), or the reverse
    Mounts: 32.8 x 41.3 cm (12 15/16 x 16 1/4 in.), or the reverse
  • Classification: Photographs
  • Credit Line: Joyce F. Menschel Photography Library Fund, 2007
  • Object Number: 2007.454.1.12
  • Curatorial Department: Photographs

More Artwork

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Les Ruines de Paris et de ses Environs 1870-1871: Cent Photographies: Premier Volume. Par A. Liébert, text par Alfred d'Aunay., Alphonse J. Liébert French, Albumen silver prints from glass negatives
Les Ruines de Paris et de ses Environs 1870-1871: Cent Photographies: Premier Volume. Par A. Liébert, text par Alfred d'Aunay.
Alphonse J. Liébert
Alfred d'Aunay
1870–71
Le Photographie en Amérique. Traité‚ complete de photographie pratique contenant les découvertes les plus récentes
Alphonse J. Liébert
1870s
Barracks Post, Place de la Bastille; Canal Tunnel and July Column, Alphonse J. Liébert French, Albumen silver print from glass negative
Barracks Post, Place de la Bastille; Canal Tunnel and July Column
Alphonse J. Liébert
Alfred d'Aunay
1871
Neuilly Bombarded. General View of the rue de Chezy, Alphonse J. Liébert French, Albumen silver print from glass negative
Neuilly Bombarded. General View of the rue de Chezy
Alphonse J. Liébert
Alfred d'Aunay
1871
Tuileries Palace, Burned. General View, Alphonse J. Liébert French, Albumen silver print from glass negative
Tuileries Palace, Burned. General View
Alphonse J. Liébert
Alfred d'Aunay
1871

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