National Almanach for 1791, dedicated to the Friends of the Constitution, 1790 (colour aquatint) (detail...

Almanach National Dedié aux Amis de la Constitution; detail showing the lower half of the Almanach with the empty space intended for the insertion of the calendar for 1791; the intense interest and excitement in Paris aroused by the projected constitutional reforms during the early stages of the French Revolution was fuelled by the production of political pamphlets which were purchased in large quantities by Parisians from street vendors (vendeuses de libelles) such as the one illustrated here; a allegorical print on the French Constitution of 1791 ( coloured engraving) A Pamphlet Seller, c.1791 (engraving)