The Paris Mob–A Barricade in Paris, from "The Graphic," vol. 3

The Paris Mob–A Barricade in Paris, from "The Graphic," vol. 3

Arthur Boyd Houghton

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Illustrated periodicals such as "The Graphic" in London and "Harper’s Weekly" in New York helped the British and American publics to visualize the events of the Paris Commune. Houghton’s depiction of a barricade appeared in both publications on April 8 and May 6, 1871 respectively. The description of the Communards as a "mob" makes clear that the publishers did not support the insurrection. As in the preceding revolutions of 1789, 1830, and 1848, the barricade, constructed with overturned carriages, furniture, and cobblestones, became a potent symbol of the uprising. The accompanying article employs a touristic tone, describing blithely how "these street fortifications have always been a great feature in a Parisian revolution."

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Paris Mob–A Barricade in Paris, from "The Graphic," vol. 3The Paris Mob–A Barricade in Paris, from "The Graphic," vol. 3The Paris Mob–A Barricade in Paris, from "The Graphic," vol. 3The Paris Mob–A Barricade in Paris, from "The Graphic," vol. 3The Paris Mob–A Barricade in Paris, from "The Graphic," vol. 3

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.