3-038-967 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Making charcoal in the Bois de Boulogne, Paris, (sketch by balloon post), 1871. The Franco-Prussian War. '...long before ordinary wood for firing was deficient, charcoal, the only fuel used for cooking purposes in the French capital, had become scarce. The Government immediately gave instructions for charcoal to be made in the Bois de Boulogne and Bois de Vincennes. One of our Engraving represents the preparation of this combustible in the Bois de Boulogne. In the background we see that portion of the wood not yet felled, from behind which rises the fortress of Mont Valerien. Nearer to the front is one of those cafe-chalets which in summer-time used to be thronged with promenaders; and here are many pointed stumps of the felled trees. The charcoal-burners in the foreground are engaged in removing heaps of charcoal, filling sacks, and conveying them to the two carts in the background. Others are either arranging the conical-shaped piles of wood, which, after being covered with earth, are set fire to, or are sawing the wood the requisite length; while one member of the fraternity is preparing the dinner of his comrades, near a couple of huts which have been erected for shelter and repose'. From "Illustrated London News", 1871.