Vue générale de la ville de Manille, ravagée par un tremblement de terre. [General View of Manila City after the Earthquake]

Description

hand coloured wood engraving.

View from Le Monde Illustre, pp. 99/100; published in Paris dated 11 July 1863 with an article on the Earthquake. The panoramic view records the widespread devastation inflicted upon the colonial capital, where numerous public buildings, churches, and “private residences were damaged or destroyed. The composition was drawn by de Montaut a” prolific French illustrator renowned for his reportage and historical scenes, and engraved by Barbant, one of the leading wood engravers of 19th century France. Issued at the time when European readers were following events in the Philippines already through the new medium of the illustrated press, the engraving provides a rare contemporary visual record of Manila immediately following the earthquake and remains one of the most evocative published images of the disaster.