The Collection of the Musée Carnavalet in Paris

A Description of Sections Contained in the History of Paris Museum

Apr 10, 2009 James Parsons

The rooms of the Musée Carnavalet follow a sequence of eras to illustrate the development of Paris from a riverbank prehistoric settlement to the glorious city of today.

The Musée Carnavalet in Rue de Sévigné is the museum devoted to the history of Paris. The museum is organized over three floors and 8 sections representing different eras of the history of this magnificent city. The following details give the barest sketch of the periods illustrated and the delights that await the visitor with a love of Paris.

Paris Prehistory to the Gallo-Roman Era

Of all the museum, this section is most like the anticipated standard museum with illuminated showcases , display stands and a leaflet pile to explain the exhibits. Here, the visitor will find piroques of tree trunks(primitive boats), stone weapons and ancient pottery. Many of the items were discovered during the excavation of a building site at the riverside inner suburb of Bercy – remarkable remnants of the original tribe , the Parisii. The Roman period is well covered with busts, columns, jewellery and other items of everyday life in Gaul.

Paris in the Middle Ages

At the time of the author’s visit to the museum in March 2009, this section was closed for refurbishment. Nevertheless, one room elsewhere in the mansion is furnished in medieval style with rugged wooden furniture and a vast fireplace occupying most of one wall.

Paris in the 16th Century

It is in these sections that the visitor discovers the unique presentation style of the Carnavalet Museum. Housed in two 17th Century mansions, the exhibits are incorporated into rooms furnished in the style of the period. Thus, in this section on the ground floor of the Hôtel Carnavalet paintings and artifacts blend into representative 16th century furnishing.

Paintings show the commencement of projects that are familiar landmarks for tourists today: the Louvre, the Palais de Tuilleries, the church of St Eustache and the Hôtel de Ville. Considerable attention is given to the development of the Pont Neuf, with examples of its gargoyles, and paintings showing this ‘new wonder’, a clean design with no houses built on the sides. Other paintings show the demolition of houses that lined other Parisian bridges.

Paris in the 17th Century

The history of Paris in the 17th Century is given over to the occupation of the Hôtel Carnavalet by the celebrated letter-writer Madame Sévigné between 1677 and 1696. The rooms are furnished in the style she might have chosen. Paris is revealed as a burgeoning city of splendor in paintings of the period. This was the era that saw the building of the Palais du Luxembourg, the Sorbonne University, the Invalides and the Place des Victoires.

Paris in the 18th Century

This is the Rococo decorative period of Louis XV’s early reign and a later return to classical tastes with ambitious building projects such as the Panthéon and the Place Louis XV (now the Place de la Concorde

Of this period, it is understandable that an entire section is given to the French Revolution. This is a fascinating collection that includes models of the Bastille, rope ladders used in scaling the walls, muskets and uniforms of the combatants, and the decorated drums that called men to arms.

There is a poignant re-creation of the room given by the Knights Templers to house the imprisoned royal family while they awaited trial. There are gruesome paintings celebrating the guillotining of Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette.

Additionally, paintings record the vandalism that followed the success of the revolutionaries with the destruction not only of the hated Bastille but of many churches and public buildings.

Paris in the 19th Century

This section records Haussmann’s enormous urban renewal projects and the construction of the Opéra Garnier. It also is well illustrated by the magnificent Impressionist art that flourished in the period. The fun side of Parisian life is illustrated by old shop signs and symbols of professional services such as enormous scissors and spectacles as signs over doorways.

Paris in the 20th Century

In this section, the avant-garde movement is explored and there are wonderful portraits of many of the literary giants such as Léautaud, Proust and Cocteau. Indeed, Proust’s bedroom is recreated in one of the mansion’s rooms.

Accessing the Musée Carnavalet

The museum is in the Marais district at 23 Rue de Sévigné. Best Metro stops are Saint-Paul or Chemin Vert. Entrance is free. For an overview of the museum, consult this other Suite101 article.

The copyright of the article The Collection of the Musée Carnavalet in Paris in W Europe Travel is owned by James Parsons. Permission to republish The Collection of the Musée Carnavalet in Paris in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.