PhotoSaintGermain-Paris 1871, Les soulèvements de La Commune

Paris 1871, Les soulèvements de La Commune

In collaboration with Denis Canguilhem

In November 2026, Librairie & Galerie Saint Michel presents a collection of photographic archives of La Commune.

The popular uprisings following the fall of the Second Empire and the defeat against Prussia constitute a revolutionary episode that definitively marked political and social history. The people of Paris, after enduring hardship and poverty during the Siege of Paris, refused to surrender. This insurrection became one of the earliest subjects of photojournalism: Paris was the stage for barricades, but also a studio and laboratory for developing photographic and photomontage techniques.

From a private collection, the archives bear witness to these uprisings, from barricades to ruins, highlighting the role of men and women fighting to the death for democratic ideals. Transformed, society marked a turning point regarding the place of women on the front lines of combat.

Collard, Disdéri, Braquehais, Appert, and Blancard were among the earliest "photo-reporters", alongside anonymous figures, covering the city in upheaval, its siege architecture, and its actors in portraits or staged compositions.

Concurrently, photographer Martin Bruno turns his gaze upon the same streets and neighborhoods. A photographer of travel and color, drawn to timeless places, Martin Bruno composes geographical portraits exploring the links between landscape, memory, and human presence.

This exhibition takes place within the framework of the PhotoSaintGermain festival. Organized in the heart of Paris, in the iconic Saint‐Germain‐des‐Prés neighborhood, PhotoSaintGermain is an annual festival dedicated to promoting photographic creation.

PhotoSaintGermain offers a free and freely accessible exhibition tour across a selection of museums, cultural centers, galleries, and bookstores on the Left Bank. This tour highlights a sharp and eclectic program designed by associated galleries, as well as several original exhibitions and novel projects imagined and produced by the festival.