Jean Béraud was a French painter renowned for his numerous paintings depicting the life of Paris, and the nightlife of Paris society. His blurred artworks are precisely detailed illustrations of everyday Parisian life during the "Belle Époque" period.

This spirited, light-filled painting shows Bastille Day in Paris in 1880, the first celebration of its anniversary since 1790. Exuberantly singing the Marseillaise, a group of workmen, artists, students and shopkeepers parade westward along the flag-draped rue St. Antoine from the Place de la Bastille.