Gambetta Proclaiming the Republic of France
Date1887
Artist
Howard Pyle
(American illustrator, 1853–1911)
Illustration CitationThe Downfall of the Empire in "The Siege and Commune of Paris," by E.B. Washburne, in Scribner's Magazine, January 1887
MediumBlack-and-white-oil on canvas board
Dimensions14 1/2 x 13 3/8 in. (36.8 x 34 cm)
frame: 27 3/4 × 21 3/4 in. (70.5 × 55.2 cm)
frame: 27 3/4 × 21 3/4 in. (70.5 × 55.2 cm)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase, 1915
Object number1915-1
On View
Not on viewClassificationsPAINTING
Label TextKnown as a great orator and statesman, Léon Gambetta was influential in establishing the French Third Republic in 1870 after the fall of Napoleon III. Howard Pyle depicts him at the window in Paris' City Hall, where he proclaimed the republic to an enthusiastic crowd. The two men immediately behind Gambetta are his compatriots Jules Favre and Emmanuel Arrago. Pyle took care to render the three with portrait-like accuracy.
