Paris - Musée Carnavalet - 3me

Plate XXVII - Musee Carnavalet…

The Union flag? In Paris? I wasn’t sure my eyes were seeing right, for after centuries of being at war (when not sharing Kings or marrying themselves off to one another’s royals) I still didn’t think the French liked the British very much. (Many of the multilingual guide books in Paris display an American, in preference to a British, flag to denote the English language edition). And yet here at the Carnavalet Museum was a visiting exhibition dedicated to the British influence in France. The stand of flags at the entrance made a colourful if transient composition.

The Carnavalet Museum is dedicated to the history of Paris. For anyone interested in the city, its origins and development, the Carnavalet is a must-see. Housed in the Hôtel Carnavalet since 1880, the collection outgrew its original home, causing authorities to annexe also the adjoining Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint Frageau in 1989. Hôtel Carnavalet dates back to 1560 with extensive renovations by Francois Mansart in the 1650’s. The Hôtel Le Peletier also dates from the middle 16th century.

Exhibits in the museum trace Paris’ history from the days of its settlement by the Parisii tribes (when it was known as Lutèce) up to the thriving metropolis of the greater Paris of today. Museum artefacts comprise of extensive documents including paintings and drawings, sculptures, photographs, furniture, models, coins and medals and archaeological relics. If it happened in Paris, it is almost certainly recorded in Carnavalet. One of the more famous residents of the hotel (1667 to 1696) was Madame de Sevigne, considered the most beautiful woman in Paris at the time and a letter writer of repute. The museum is to be found in the Rue de Sevigne, and unusually, although the temporary exhibits elicit an entrance fee, the main collection may be visited for free. It’s well worth that visit.