The burning of the Tuileries Palace

A heavily doctored photograph, mounted as a cabinet card, which purports to show the fire that engulfed the Tuileries Palace in the centre of Paris during the so-called 'Semaine Sanglante' [Bloody Week] which brought an end to the Paris Commune. As the forces of the French government reclaimed the city street by street, the retreating Communards set fire to many public buildings, most notable the Ministry of Justice, the Hôtel de Ville and the Tuileries Palace.

The reverse of the mount carries the wetstamp of photographer Alexandre Quinet of Paris.