The French National Guard Destroys Printing Presses at the Office of M. Boulé

Throughout book history we hear of incidents of printing shops being raided or presses destroyed, but it highly unusual to find such incidents illustrated in newspapers or magazines. On June 23, 1849 the Illustrated London News published an illustration of destruction of wooden handpresses at the office of Boulé et Cie in Paris. What appears surprising is that the presses damaged or destroyed were so primitive, suggesting that Boulé's main printing plant for the production of "five journals" as mentioned in the text of the article, which was presumably mechanized by this time, was left untouched.

It is also notable, I think, that the Illustrated London News of London thought this incident was worth reporting.