Between the Covers

Unbound. Albumen print mounted on heavier card. 4¼" x 6½" . Back and front marks of photographer Albert Capelle in Paris. Image slightly faded, very good or better. Michel’s name in blue crayon on the verso in an unknown hand. Bust portrait of Michel in drab, coarse (perhaps prison) clothing. Vintage photograph of the revolutionary feminist who led the Montmartre Women’s Vigilance Committee during the Paris Commune, earning the nickname the “Red Virgin of Montmartre.” Michel was transported to New Caldonia following the fall of the Commune, where her politics became further radicalized. She was pardoned in 1880 and returned to France where she became a leader in European anarchist circles. Her books and lectures inspired the next generation of anarchist activists, including (and particularly) Emma Goldman.

Item #438230