Capturing the Whirlwind: Paris Depicted through the Medium of Revolutionary Prints

Abstract

This thesis is the product of an Arts and Humanities Research Council Collaborative Doctoral Award, the result of which was the production of a catalogue of the Tableaux de la Révolution. Made up of some 500 prints, presented in four nineteenth century bound volumes, the Tableaux de la Révolution is part of the Rothschild Collection held at Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire. One of the key goals of the project was to create an online resource that is now publicly accessible by internet. The initial cataloguing was split between Claire Trévien, also a recipient of and AHRC CDA, which she held in the French Department at the University of Warwick and myself. We ‘tombstone catalogued’ some 250 prints each, analysing the following: date, the identification of printing method and style, identification of subject and theme, a description of the image, translation and description of the text, as well as the construction of a theme-based search engine. My own contribution was the first and fourth of the large volumes in which the prints are kept (accession numbers: 4232.1 and 4222). Additional background research has also been conducted for each print, extended upon in the final in-depth analyses of circa 30 prints on my part. The items which received this treatment under my individual care were acc. nos: 4222.7.4, 4222.9.8, 4222.10.11, 4222.13.16, 4222.14.17, 4222.21.27, 4222.35.44, 4222.47.61, 4232.1.13.27, 4232.1.19.40, 4232.1.23.46, 4232.1.42.83, 4232.1.43.85, 4232.1.43.86, 4232.1.46.92, 4232.1.48.96, 4232.1.52.104, 4232.1.52.107, 4232.1.57.113, 4232.1.69.142, 4232.1.70.144, 4232.1.80.164, 4232.1.83.170, 4232.1.84.171, 4232.2.24.38, 4232.2.31.50, 4232.2.31.51, 4232.2.35.61 and 4232.2.47.80 (http://www.waddesdon.org.uk/collection/special-projects/tableaux-paul). The work done at Waddesdon Manor also proved invaluable vis-à-vis my thesis. The study of the prints laid the groundwork for me to broaden my knowledge of prints as a visual medium. In addition to this, an exhibition of the Tableaux de la Révolution was held at Waddesdon Manor in summer 2011. Part of the impact of the final catalogue also included a public lecture and ‘hands-on’ session, which I co-hosted with Claire Trévien. The catalogue of the Tableaux de la Révolution may be consulted on the Waddesdon website at: http://waddesdon.org.uk/collection/special-projects/tableau