1-154-612 - Art Media-Private Collection/Heritage Images

'Etat Major de la Garde Nationale', Siege of Paris, Franco-Prussian war, 1870-1871. An aristocratic-looking mounted National Guardsman. After the disastrous defeat of the French at Sedan and the capture of Napoleon III, the Prussians surrounded Paris on 9 September 1870. The city held out despite famine, disease and cold until a bombardment with heavy siege guns led to its surrender on 28 January 1871. The National Guard (Garde Nationale) was recruited from the citizenry of Paris to defend the city from any Prussian attack during the time of the siege. They were instrumental in the overthrow of the Republican government in March 1871 and the establishment of the Paris Commune. Print from a series titled Souvenirs du Siege de Paris. From a private collection.