Alfred Dreyfus, Archive of Illustrated Newspapers From his Exoneration 1894-1899

Dreyfus, Alfred

Archive

Archive of 9 illustrated Newspapers related to the Dreyfus Affair. December 1894-October 1899. French and Italian. Measure 18 x 12.5 inches. The archive includes 8 issues from French newspaper Le Petit Journal, 1 issue from French newspaper La Depeche, and 1 issue from Italian newspaper, La Tribuna Illustrata. Alfred Dreyfus was a Jewish soldier in the French army convicted for treason in 1894. His supposed betrayal was the passing of military secrets to the Germans, who were enemy number one for the French after resoundingly defeating them in the Franco-Prussian War. When new evidence came to light in 1896 identifying the traitor as a French Army major, the treasonous major was nonetheless acquitted after a 2-day trial and new charges were brought against Dreyfus. Amid public outcry caused in part by the writer Emile Zola's fierce advocacy work, Dreyfus' case was reopened in 1899. 2 issues in archive show major players in the second case, Governor Brugere of Paris and Colonel Jouaust who presided over the trial and famously addressed Dreyfus as "accused one," refusing to acknowledge his military rank and adding to the public impression that the trial was fixed against Dreyfus. Author and social justice advocate Emile Zola wrote an open letter famously titled J'Accuse...! accusing the military of an anti-semitic conspiracy against Dreyfus, resulting in Zola's own trial and imprisonment for libel. Amid public outcry caused in part by Zola's advocacy, Dreyfus' case was reopened in 1899. Zola died from carbon monoxide poisoning in 1902, which was ruled as an accident at the time, though the official narrative has come into question on account of a 1952 confession from a chimney sweep who claimed to have been paid to block Zola's chimney. Zola's letter J'Accuse...! demonstrated the power of the intellectuals to shape public opinion, causing unrest in France and embarrassing portions of the military command. Dreyfus's second trial ended in another conviction and 10-year sentence, but Dreyfus was eventually pardoned and released, and in 1906 was exonerated reinstated into the military. Dreyfus went on to serve during World War I, finally ending his service with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Titles included are; Le Petit Journal (20 Janvier 1895; 27 Septembre 1896; 17 Avril 1898; 23 Juillet 1899; 20 Aout 1899; 10 Septembre 1899; 8 Octobre 1899;) La Depeche (13 Fevrier 1898) La Tribuna Illustrata (18 agosto 1899). Cover illustrations
feature Dreyfus defending himself before a group of soldiers with the title translating to "Captain Dreyfus before the council of war" (Le Petit Journal, 23 Decembre 1894), Dreyfus brooding in his cell (Le Petit Journal, 20 Janvier 1895), Dreyfus sitting at an outdoor table with his head in his hands as a soldier watches over him, text translating to "Dreyfus on Devil's Island." (Le Petit Journal, 27 Septembre 1896), Zola before the Assize court (La Depeche, 13 Fevrier 1898), The Court of Cassation speaking amongst each other during the Zola affair (Le Petit Journal, 17 Avril 1898), a portrait of General Brugere (Le Petit Journal, 23 Juillet 1899), a portrait of Dreyfus in his colonial uniform ( La Tribuna Illustrata, 18 agosto 1899), Dreyfus before the council (Le Petit Journal, 20 Aout 1899), a portrait of Colonel Jouaust (Le Petit Journal, 10 Septembre 1899), and finally an illustration showing the French senate filled with soldiers, text below translating "The senate library transformed into a prison" (Le Petit Journal, 8 Octobre 1899). A sweeping archive including the major players in one of the most important trials in French history and a foreboding prequel to the anti-Semitism which manifested in its most horrible expression a few decades later. Slight toning and a few small tears to edges of papers, does not affect images or text. Overall very good condition.

Item #18503

Price: $1,850.00