Vandalism Collection

Mona Lisa Says Goodbye
The Mona Lisa says goodbye when the painting is stolen from the Louvre, Paris

Mystery of the smashed Belisha beacon. 5 November 1934

Scene inside the famous Cavern Club in Matthew Street, Liverpool. Tables and chairs destroyed February 1965 P018471

Boarded up houses in a rough area of Liverpool UK
Ashley Cooper / SpecialistStock

American Revolution . Pulling down the statue of George III in New York City
3031463 American Revolution . Pulling down the statue of George III in New York City; Private Collection; (add.info.: American Revolution)

Je veux laisser un monument impérissable... 1854. Creator: Honore Daumier
Je veux laisser un monument imperissable... 1854. Je veux laisser un monument imperissable de notre visite a cette falaise...j'ajouterai aussi votre nom, Adelaide

Nos villes a sac; Salle a manger et façade d'une maison de la rue d'Essommes. L'etat dans... 1918
Nos villes a sac; Salle a manger et facade d'une maison de la rue d'Essommes. L'etat dans lequel l'ennemi laissa un certain nombre d'habitations a Chateau Thierry

Nos villes a sac; Portraits et paysages que la soldatesque allemande s'est amusee a trouer... 1918
Nos villes a sac; Portraits et paysages que la soldatesque allemande s'est amusee a trouer, lacerer et decouper, 1918

Nos villes a sac; Chambre a coucher et facade d, une maison modeste de la rue Saint-Martin, 1918. Creator: Unknown
Nos villes a sac; Chambre a coucher et facade d, une maison modeste de la rue Saint-Martin, 1918. From "L'Album de la Guerre 1914-1919, Volume 2" [L'Illustration, Paris, 1924]

Nos villes a sac; Une ville de la rue Saint-Martin et l'angle de son salon, 1918. Creator: Unknown
Nos villes a sac; Une ville de la rue Saint-Martin et l'angle de son salon, 1918. From "L'Album de la Guerre 1914-1919, Volume 2" [L'Illustration, Paris, 1924]

Nos villes a sac; Une salle de la bibliotheque des avocats: comment les Allemands se... 1918. Creator: Unknown
Nos villes a sac; Une salle de la bibliotheque des avocats: comment les Allemands se comporterent a Douai avant d'evacuer precipitamment la ville, le 16 october 1918, 1918

Nos villes a sac; L'interieur d'une librairie: comment les Allemands se comporterent a... 1918
Nos villes a sac; L'interieur d'une librairie: comment les Allemands se comporterent a Douai avant d'evacuer precipitamment la ville, le 16 octobre 1918, 1918

Nos villes a sac; Cuves et machines d'une fabrique d'huile systematiquement detruites, 1918. Creator: Unknown
Nos villes a sac; Cuves et machines d'une fabrique d'huile systematiquement detruites, 1918. From "L'Album de la Guerre 1914-1919, Volume 2" [L'Illustration, Paris, 1924]

Nos villes a sac; La chapelle d'un etablissement religieux de la rue Victor-Hugo, profanee, 1918. Creator: Unknown
Nos villes a sac; La chapelle d'un etablissement religieux de la rue Victor-Hugo, profanee, 1918. From "L'Album de la Guerre 1914-1919, Volume 2" [L'Illustration, Paris, 1924]

Church of St. Vladimir, in a Russian cemetery, French extreme left, 1856. Creator: Edward Alfred Goodall
Church of St. Vladimir, in a Russian cemetery, French extreme left, 1856. Scene from the Crimean War - French soldiers in a graffiti-ed church

Woman carving words on a tree, 1661. Creator: Gesina ter Borch
Woman carving words on a tree, 1661. Probably Gesina herself who scratches her motto "Virtue makes Beauty" into the bark of a tree, a reference to her sweetheart, Henrik Jordis

Vale leading to Inkerman, 1854. Creator: Unknown
Vale leading to Inkerman, 1854. Crimean War, ruins at Kalamita. Here is truly a city of caverns, for the white rocks that look over the bay of Aktiar (which, translated, signifies White Rocks)

Man sitting on a bench at a bus shelter covered with graffiti after a football match February 1975 75-01052-001

Man looking at a Graffiti covered wall after a football match February 1975 75-01052-015

Public Toilets in Flatts Lane, in the Teeside area of England. The toilets are closed due to vandalism Picture taken 10th May 1992

Ray Price, secretary of Garston Boat users Association, standing in front of his vandalised boat. Mersey fishermen have been under threat from sinister arsonists who have wrecked boats worth

The exterior of the now derelict Manors Railway Station in Newcastle on 1st July 1985

The remains of the waiting room of Blaydon Railway Station on 10th July 1977 which has been seriously damaged by vandals

Transport, Road, Cars, Burnt out Ford Transit van in farmyard

House in Deptford in which Peter the Great resided, 1858. Creator: Unknown
House in Deptford in which Peter the Great resided, 1858....a large, square, brick-built house, situated in Hughes'-fields, was in a most dilapidated state

Halstead Hall, near Horncastle, 1857. Creator: Unknown
Halstead Hall, near Horncastle, 1857. Possibly arson attack. About an hour before midnight on Sunday, the 17th of December last

Watch-boxes increased in number during Queen Annes reign
3665812 Watch-boxes increased in number during Queen Annes reign. by Cruikshank, George (1792-1878); (add.info.: Watch-boxes increased in number during Queen Annes reign)

The Vandals Emperor, front cover illustration from Le Petit Journal, supplement illustre
486925 The Vandals Emperor, front cover illustration from Le Petit Journal, supplement illustre, 4th October 1914 (colour litho) by French School

German Tavern wrecked, Deptford, 1914-1918 (b / w photo)
STC361026 German Tavern wrecked, Deptford, 1914-1918 (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

A cavalry skirmish with soldiers pillaging a village (oil on canvas)
CH445190 A cavalry skirmish with soldiers pillaging a village (oil on canvas) by Snayers, Peeter (1592-1667); 52.8x81.5 cm; Private Collection; Photo © Christies Images

Le Poulbots aux Graffiti, 1932 (oil on canvas)
BAL53667 Le Poulbots aux Graffiti, 1932 (oil on canvas) by Poulbot, Francisque (1879-1946); 120x80 cm; Petit Palais, Geneva, Switzerland; (add.info.: Girl and boy painting a married couple on a wall)

The night attack Place des Barricades - illustration from Depuis l exil, 19th Century (b / w engraving)
909664 The night attack Place des Barricades - illustration from Depuis l exil, 19th Century (b/w engraving) by Bayard, Emile Antoine (1837-91); Private Collection; (add.info)

Interior of the Oude Kerk, Delft, probably 1650. Creator: Emanuel de Witte
Interior of the Oude Kerk, Delft, probably 1650. Detail from a larger artwork

First Pylon - French Inscription Carved on the Eastern Embrasure at Point H, Island of Fila (Philae), 1851/52. [Archaeological site in Egypt - graffiti made c 1799, during the Napoleonic period]

The Fallen Column in the Place Vendome, Paris (engraving)
1105035 The Fallen Column in the Place Vendome, Paris (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Fallen Column in the Place Vendome, Paris)

Cutting the Base of the Column in the Place Vendome, Paris (engraving)
1105028 Cutting the Base of the Column in the Place Vendome, Paris (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Cutting the Base of the Column in the Place Vendome)

Barrows in Greenwich Park (engraving)
1101302 Barrows in Greenwich Park (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Barrows in Greenwich Park)

A deranged man who was shooting in the galleries of the Louvre in Paris suddenly... (colour litho)
2783621 A deranged man who was shooting in the galleries of the Louvre in Paris suddenly... (colour litho) by Beltrame, Achille (1871-1945); Private Collection; (add.info)

English tourist in a bird basket in a gannet hunt
English tourist riding in a bird basket in a gannet or guga hunt on the isle of St. Kilda, Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Doctor Factobends recantation in the bird basket, St. Kildd

English tourists defacing an ancient tomb with hammer and chisel on the isle of Iona, Inner Hebrides, Scotland
6337591 English tourists defacing an ancient tomb with hammer and chisel on the isle of Iona, Inner Hebrides, Scotland by Williams

Jack carves his name on a beam in the shop of his former employer
STC239046 Jack carves his name on a beam in the shop of his former employer, illustration from Jack Sheppard: A Romance by William Harrison Ainsworth, published 1839 (etching) by Cruikshank

Spaniards destroying Mexican Idols (engraving)
3103281 Spaniards destroying Mexican Idols (engraving) by Darley, Felix Octavius Carr (1822-88) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Spaniards destroying Mexican Idols)

Modern Iconoclasts at Work on the Monuments of Ancient Egypt (engraving)
1038232 Modern Iconoclasts at Work on the Monuments of Ancient Egypt (engraving) by Macquoid, Percy (1852-1925); Private Collection; (add.info)

The Name on the Beam, illustration from Jack Sheppard
2655419 The Name on the Beam, illustration from Jack Sheppard: A Romance by William Harrison Ainsworth, published 1839 (hand coloured etching) by Cruikshank

Painting King William Black, Dublin, 1822, illustration from Cassell
STC393289 Painting King William Black, Dublin, 1822, illustration from Cassells Illustrated History of England (engraving) (sepia photo) by English School

The Vandals in Rome, illustration from The Illustrated History of the World, published c
LLM438564 The Vandals in Rome, illustration from The Illustrated History of the World, published c.1880 (digitally enhanced image) by English School

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Vandalism: A Tale of Destruction and Expression From the Art of Banksy Preview in Sydney to the Mystery of the smashed Belisha beacon in 1934, it has left its mark on history, and is a form of rebellion that can be found even in unexpected places like inside the famous Cavern Club in Matthew Street, Liverpool. Even iconic masterpieces have not been spared from this act of defiance. Just ask Mona Lisa as she says goodbye to her untouched beauty. But it's not just art that falls victim; boarded up houses in rough areas of Liverpool bear witness to this destructive force. Across continents, graffiti adorns pedestrian walkways near Manhattan Bridge, New York City. The vibrant colors clash with the urban landscape, leaving an indelible mark on both locals and tourists alike. Sometimes, acts are driven by political motives. The Rokeby Venus suffered damage at the hands of suffragettes fighting for their rights. Similarly, after a football match, a man sits on a bench at a bus shelter covered with graffiti - perhaps an expression born out of frustration or celebration. Transportation infrastructure also becomes collateral damage when vandals strike. Burnt-out Ford Transit vans stand as stark reminders amidst farmyards and roadsides. Throughout history, incidents involving train-wrecking during events like the General Strike in 1926 have shown how they are disrupt society's functioning while making powerful statements about inequality and injustice. In February 1975, a man gazes upon a graffiti-covered wall after yet another football match - evidence that passion sometimes spills over into destruction. Even public toilets do not escape unscathed from these acts; Flatts Lane's facilities in England bear witness to such disregard for public property. Vandalism may be seen as mindless destruction by some but others view it as an outlet for self-expression or protest against societal norms. Regardless of perspective, one thing remains clear.