3-077-821 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

The Fall of the Bastille: searching the Dungeons, 1890. The Storming of the Bastille prison in Paris, on 14 July 1789, was the flashpoint of the French Revolution. After four hours of fighting and 94 deaths, the insurgents were able to enter the building. The governor, Bernard-René Jourdan de Launay, and several members of the garrison were killed after surrendering. The Bastille contained only seven inmates at the time, and was already scheduled for demolition, but was seen by the revolutionaries as a symbol of the monarchy's abuse of power. From "Illustrated London News", 1890.