Finance Ministry, Burned. Exterior View. Artist: Alphonse J. Liébert (French, 1827-1913). Author: Alfred d'Aunay (French). Dimensions: Images approx.: 19 x 25 cm (7 1/2 x 9 13/16 in.), or the reverseMounts: 32.8 x 41.3 cm (12 15/16 x 16 1/4 in.), or the reverse. Date: 1871.Even in our own era, when the medium is ubiquitous, we remain captivated by photographs of the disasters of war, the devastation of natural disasters, or the shape of a local catastrophe. Is it to preserve history, remember suffering, advocate for reconstruction--or is it the same strange impulse that compels one to slow down and look at the wreckage of an accident on the highway For whatever reason, there was a huge demand for images of the ruins of post-Commune Paris. Liébert was but one of many photographers who toured the city recording the government buildings, houses, factories, and fortifications reduced to rubble. His hundred-print series, usually found in a set of two leather-bound albums with an accompanyin