Finance Ministry, Burned. Exterior View

Alphonse J. Liébert|Alfred d'Aunay

1871 · Albumen silver print from glass negative · Photographs

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.

Artist

Alphonse J. Liébert|Alfred d'Aunay

Date

1871

Medium

Albumen silver print from glass negative

Department

Photographs

Credit line

Joyce F. Menschel Photography Library Fund, 2007