View of the Catacombs of Paris

This engraving by Auguste Trichon, titled “View of the Catacombs of Paris,” depicts the dark underground interior of the Paris Catacombs. The scene shows galleries lined with bones and skulls, arranged along the walls and around pillars, creating an atmosphere that is both funerary and monumental. Published in Décembre and Alonnier’s illustrated popular dictionary, the image reflects nineteenth-century interest in the unusual, historical, and macabre sites of the capital.