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1791

Oath of the Tennis Court at Versailles June 20, 1789

Pierre-Gabriel Berthault

French, 1737 - 1831

This print is from the Complete Collection of Historical Pictures of the French Revolution, which was published in 1802 as a three-volume set. It portrays events on June 20, 1789, when representatives of the French National Assembly - a newly formed group - found themselves locked out of the hall where they had arranged to meet. They mistakenly concluded that the king, Louis XVI, was responsible. Undaunted, the delegates congregated in a nearby tennis court, swearing not to disperse until a national constitution for France had been established.

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