Here we have a uber rare and historic antique photograph featuring the aftermath of the Charity Bazaar Fire in 1897. An unbelievable and intense glimpse into the tragedy and destruction of the event. And it’s unique. The background on this rare artifact will sober you up. It was a fire tragedy of a large magnitude with over 100 dead mostly of the wealthy bourgeois class including Franz Joseph's wife's sister. All this was caused by the flame of the lantern from a magic lantern's lamp into a petroleum filled air from the tar on the canvas of the temporary building. Here you see the pain of the aftermath. The charred torso's and such are evident in the photo. Remains were identified through the emerging science of forensics dentistry.
The caption handwritten in pencil is incorrect as the fire was in 1897, not 1896.
Here's some detailed background on this glimpse into history:
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In 1897, the Bazar was located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris at 17 Rue Jean-Goujon, inside a large wooden warehouse which the organisers had reconstituted as a medieval street using painted wood, cardboard, cloth, and papier-mache. One of the key attractions of the Bazar, scheduled for 3 to 6 May, was to be a cinematograph installation which functioned with ether lamps.
On the afternoon of 4 May, the projectionist's equipment caught fire, and 126 people — mostly aristocratic women wearing impractical and highly flammable corsets and crinoline — died as a result of the following blaze and the panic of the crowd in attendance. Over 200 others sustained additional injuries, and the disaster—noted for improperly marked exits—was reported internationally.
Some of the visitors fleeing through the courtyard were aided in escaping through the windows of the adjacent Hôtel du Palais' kitchen by the hotel's manager, Mme Roche-Sautier, and cook M Gauméry. The condition of the charred remains of the victims was such that dental records were necessary for identification, which in itself became a landmark in the early history of forensic dentistry.
In the aftermath of the fire, 937,438 francs, equivalent to the amount raised by the previous year's Bazar, was donated by an anonymous benefactor to the charitable purposes for which the Bazar de la Charité had been organised.
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The antique photograph comes out of a Chicago estate containing a large collection of rare and unusual photography from the early 1900s. This example is no exception.
The antique photo and backing measure 10" tall by 12" wide. The piece has plenty of surface patina from age. There is a small loss in the upper right edge. The historic photo is bowing slightly inward. Please see all pics as they are part of the description.
I ship FedEx to street addresses in the continental USA only (no PO boxes). Free shipping on the rare antique photograph.
History, 12” x 10”.
