Gezicht op de resten van de neergehaalde Colonne Vendôme op de Place Vendôme te Parijs after 1871

Jean Andrieu captured this stark photograph of the Place Vendôme in Paris, immortalizing the ruins of the fallen Colonne Vendôme. The column, once a symbol of imperial power and military triumph under Napoleon, now lies in fragments. This act of demolition is a potent symbol in itself, reminiscent of iconoclasm from antiquity to the Reformation, where the destruction of images represented the toppling of an old order. But here, instead of religious idols, it’s a secular monument brought down, signifying a shift in political power. This destruction echoes through history in various forms: consider the defacement of statues during regime changes or the deliberate demolition of monuments to erase collective memory. It’s a primal urge, isn't it, to obliterate what we oppose? The toppling of the column is a visually arresting reminder of the transient nature of power, a recurring theme throughout history. The cycle of constructing and destroying symbols is, tragically, a tale as old as time.