Acquisition: Purchased with general book funds; C. Mas, January 1989.
Biographical/Historical: Probably an earlier state of a print titled Fêtes et illuminations aux Champs-Elysées, le 18 juillet 1790, engraved by Pierre Gabriel Berthault after Jean-Louis Prieur. The version held by the Bibliothèque Nationale de France shows a nighttime scene, with a darkened sky that points up the brilliance of the illuminations, particularly the central obelisk and the umbrella-like top of the pole at left.

Physical Description

Etchings
Extent: 1 print : etching, b&w ; 30 x 45 cm., plate mark 24 x 28 cm.

Abstract

Depiction of a celebration in Paris commemorating the first anniversary of the taking of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. An illuminated obelisk stands at center, flanked by two smaller obelisks in the background. Two poles stand at either side, each with a man ascending or preparing to ascend it. Men and women dance in a circle around the central obelisk.

Languages

French

Identifiers

RLIN/OCLC: 825550850
NYPL Catalog ID (bnumber): b19759727
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 0d0ded10-ead2-0133-8d96-00505686a51c

Rights

The New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. This item may not be in the public domain under the laws of other countries. Though not required, if you want to credit us as the source, please use the following statement, "From The New York Public Library," and provide a link back to the item on our Digital Collections site. Doing so helps us track how our collection is used and helps justify freely releasing even more content in the future.

Type Of Resource

Still Image

Date Issued

1790

Cite this item

MLA format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Fêtes et illuminations aux Champs-Elysées, le 18 juillet 1790" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1790 - 1791. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/0d0ded10-ead2-0133-8d96-00505686a51c

APA format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. (1790 - 1791). Fêtes et illuminations aux Champs-Elysées, le 18 juillet 1790 Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/0d0ded10-ead2-0133-8d96-00505686a51c

Chicago/Turabian Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Fêtes et illuminations aux Champs-Elysées, le 18 juillet 1790" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed November 17, 2025. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/0d0ded10-ead2-0133-8d96-00505686a51c

Wikipedia citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/0d0ded10-ead2-0133-8d96-00505686a51c | title= (still image) Fêtes et illuminations aux Champs-Elysées, le 18 juillet 1790 (1790 - 1791) | author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library | accessdate=November 17, 2025 | publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>