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

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

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

Copying "The Last Supper", by Leonardo da Vinci, in the Old Monastery at Milan (litho)
1063682 Copying " The Last Supper", by Leonardo da Vinci, in the Old Monastery at Milan (litho) by English School

Fall of the Column in the Place Vendome, Paris (engraving)
1105096 Fall of the Column in the Place Vendome, Paris (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Fall of the Column in the Place Vendome, Paris)

Protestants destroying a statue of the Virgin and Child on Notre Dame, Paris, 16th Century (engraving)
3647425 Protestants destroying a statue of the Virgin and Child on Notre Dame, Paris, 16th Century (engraving) by Neuville

The aberrations of womens suffragism, suffragette that cuts Venus with knife blows... (colour litho)
2815632 The aberrations of womens suffragism, suffragette that cuts Venus with knife blows... (colour litho) by Beltrame, Achille (1871-1945); Private Collection; (add.info)

Former Dutch sailor who, in revenge against the State, ruins the famous painting in Amsterdam... (colour litho)
2815406 Former Dutch sailor who, in revenge against the State, ruins the famous painting in Amsterdam... (colour litho) by Beltrame

Modern Christians in the Palace of the Ancient Moorish Kings, Alhambra (engraving)
664536 Modern Christians in the Palace of the Ancient Moorish Kings, Alhambra (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

The Broken Window, 1855 (oil on canvas)
WAG13328 The Broken Window, 1855 (oil on canvas) by Knight, William Henry (1823-63); 73.7 x 96.6 cm; Wolverhampton Art Gallery, West Midlands, UK; eWolverhampton Art Gallery; English, out of copyright

The Statue in Leicester Square, on Wednesday Morning 17th October 1866
XJF196512 The Statue in Leicester Square, on Wednesday Morning 17th October 1866 (pen & ink and w/c on paper) (b/w photo) by Griset

Scaffolding for sawing the Base of the Column in the Place Vendome (engraving)
1105098 Scaffolding for sawing the Base of the Column in the Place Vendome (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

Graffiti covered wall after a football match February 1975 75-01052-010

Smithdown Road shopkeepers Mrs Anne Lev (right) and Mrs Elsie Luxton and her son, John outside their damaged shops. 10th August 1985

Geoff Wellings (left) President 5 / 36 Drivers Branch of TGWU and Tony Collins
Geoff Wellings (left) President 5/36 Drivers Branch of TGWU and Tony Collins, Assistant Secretary of 5/32 Inspectors Branch of TGWU at the Wellhead Lane Bus Depot with one of the many buses that come

Fats on the Penrhys Estate, numbers 548 o 555 which will be demolished. 5th July 1990

United Reform minister Patricia Parrish looks at some of the graffiti on the walls at her chapel on the Penrhys Estate. The chapel is a corner room in the community centre

Churchyard vandals are destroying Guisboroughs historic heritage. Ancient gravestones are being smashed and sprayed with red paint. 22nd March 1985

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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.