1790
Ball of the Bastille
Louis Le CoeurFrench, active c. 1784 - 1825
On July 14, 1789, an angry crowd, frightened by the thousands of soldiers posted around Paris, stormed the Bastille prison in search of weapons with which to arm themselves. The demolition of the fourteenth-century fortress soon came to symbolize the triumph over the forces of tyranny and repression and the first anniversary of the fall of the Bastille was commemorated by a special festival. Delegates from all over France were invited to come to Paris to swear an oath of loyalty and to enjoy fireworks, pageants, and other displays of national solidarity. Here the celebrants dance on the very spot where the prison once stood.
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