Title

The Revolution in Sicily - massacre of people by the royal troops at...Palermo..., 1860. Creator: Unknown.

Caption

The Revolution in Sicily - massacre of people by the royal troops at the Convent of the White Benedictines at Palermo, from a sketch by Frank Vizetelly, 1860. '...our Special Artist at Palermo... writes: "On Tuesday, May 29, the troops collected all the people in the neighbourhood, and shut them up in this convent. It was then set fire to, and as the poor wretches attempted to escape the troops fired on them, and drove them with the bayonet back into the burning pile. When the ruins were searched 130 bodies of men, women, and children were found: these I saw with my own eyes. I was in the neighbourhood of the place while the massacre was going on, and the shrieks of the unhappy creatures could be heard above the rattle of musketry."...the Royal troops opposed to this misnamed "brigand," [General Garibaldi] the protectors, avowedly, of "law, order, and justice," showed themselves [in] every way worthy of the cruel tyranny which they strove to uphold, and committed the most frightful excesses... the soldiers set fire with torches to all the houses, and the conflagration was so violent that of houses extending a length of 100 yards only the walls now remain'. From "Illustrated London News", 1860.

Credit line

Photo12/Heritage Images/The Print Collector

Reference

HRM23B08_450

Model release

NA

Property release

NA

License type

Rights managed

Available size

66,3Mb (5,7Mb) / 16,5in x 15,6in / 4960 x 4669 (300dpi)

Keywords

exterior outdoors Europe Italy Italian building female women woman people male man men religious architecture arts monastery country balcony balconies religion law art guy smoke crime burning fire British weapon weapons gun guns church shooting color KILLER Sicily Christianity war nun location century convent nuns Britain rebellion criminal newspapers press soldiers soldier murder print revolution concept B&W slaughter firing murderer murderers metaphor warfare engraved engraving benedictine loot Architectural Feature Colour 19th century booty black & white black and white B W weaponry palermo white and black on fire civilian civilians massacre nineteenth century war crime The Print Collector Illustrated London News murdering nunnery Risorgimento slaughtering spoils of war TGN ILN Frank Vizetelly outside newspaper Benedictine monastery Unknown 19th-century Expedition of the Thousand Vizetelly Frank Francis Vizetelly Vizetelly Francis