Bastille

This is the Colonne de Juillet in the middle of the Place de la Bastille. The column was completed in 1840 and commemorates the revolt against Charles X in July 1830. The winged statue at the top of the column, covered in gold leaf, is called Génie de la Liberté (translated as "Spirit of Freedom").

You have to imagine the column's green oxidized bronze and the brilliant gold of the statue on top.

The original color slide is much longer vertically, showing the street (la rue Saint-Antoine) filled with cars. I thought that cropping the photo this way makes it more dramatic, highlighting the statue rather than the cars in the street below. Although, I like that version, too.