Broadside regarding the scarcity of food and inflated prices during the Siege of Paris. 19 1/2 x 12 5/8 inches. Loose as issued. Edgewear and chipping, a few marginal tears, creasing at corners and along right edge, light toning and very minor foxing, overall good. Paris: Edouard Vert/M. Saillant, February 25, 1871. A very rare broadside published directly after the Siege of Paris and just before the start of the Paris Commune, and an excellent example of wartime gastronomic scarcity. Emperor Napoleon III had surrendered to the Prussians at the Battle of Sedan on September 2, 1870, but the new French government, the Third Republic, advocated for the war to continue. On September 19, the Prussians encircled the city of Paris, and for the next four months attempted to starve the city into surrender. Food supplies within Paris dwindled, and prices skyrocketed. Rationing did not start until mid-October, and then only of meat, and there were no attempts to limited hoarding by wealthier residents. The poor suffered the most.
This anti-Monarchist broadside lays out the prices of various foods during the siege. These include: 500 grams of ham for 50 francs; 500 grams of fresh butter for 50 francs; 500 grams of olive oil for 30 francs; 500 grans of horse meat for 8 francs; one fresh egg for 3 francs; one pigeon for 18 francs; 1 rabbit for 60 francs; 1 cat for 25 francs; 1 rat for 3 francs; 1 can of sardines for 15 francs; 500 grams of mushrooms for 6 francs; 1 bushel of onions for 80 francs; 500 grams of rice for 2 francs; 500 grams of Gruyere for 30 francs; and 1 crow for 6 francs, among others.
According to these prices, many poorer Parisians could not even afford to buy a rat with a day's wages. But the wealthy members of society could afford a goose for 150 francs or a turkey for 190 francs. The disparity in the level of suffering between the rich and poor in Paris was not lost on anyone, and it is not surprising that the Paris Commune would start shortly thereafter.
The lower margin attributes the text of the broadside to "Un assiégé, J.D.S.", and is dated 25 Février 1871. It is noted that the broadside is available for purchase at M. Saillant at 10, rue du Croissant, located in the 2nd arrondissement, or at the major bookstores. A rare example of scarcity and economic disparity from a tumultuous period of Parisian history. As of June 2026, OCLC does not locate a single copy of this broadside in North America.
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