The Place du Carrousel: The Ruins of the Tuileries in 1882

Look for the words painted on a stone in the lower corner, Ruins of the Tuileries in 1882. The Tuileries palace, the royal and imperial residence that closed off the Louvre to the west, had been gutted by fire during the Paris Commune in 1871. For 11 years its burned-out walls stood on the far side of this square while the government argued over whether to restore them. In 1882 it chose demolition, and the walls came down between February and September 1883. Here the shell is still standing behind the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, with its bronze chariot on top. In front of it life carries on: two women in black, a white poodle, sparrows on the cobbles, horses and carriages. The State bought the panel from De Nittis in 1883, the year the palace vanished.