Establishment of the National Assembly and Oath of the Deputies comprising the Assembly at Versailles, June 17, 1789 1789

Editor: This print by Jean-Michel Moreau depicts the Establishment of the National Assembly. The sheer number of figures is impressive, and I wonder, what significance do you see in this representation of collective action? Curator: The piece is rife with revolutionary fervor. But let's consider: who is present and who is absent? While it portrays unity, it's crucial to examine the power dynamics at play. How might gender, class, and other social hierarchies influence our understanding of this assembly and its purported representation of the nation? Editor: That's a great point. I hadn't considered how the image might be more exclusionary than it appears at first glance. Curator: Exactly! It's vital to interrogate these visual narratives. They can be powerful tools for shaping collective memory and justifying particular social orders.