Deyrolle Views

General Goods

Émile Deyrolle (1838-1917) was a French naturalist and natural history dealer. in Paris. The business was originally owned by his naturalist grandfather, Jean-Baptiste Deyrolle who opened his shop in 1831 at 23, Rue de la Monnaie. Émile’s father Achille Deyrolle ran the business for many years. Émile took over in 1866. The address from 1881 (and now) was (and is) 46, rue du Bac, the former home of Jacques Samuel Bernhart.Deyrolle specialized in natural history publications and specimens taxidermy, minerals, rocks, fossils, botanical specimens, shells, taxidermy, microscopic specimens and microscopes.

It was founded in 1831 by Jean-Baptiste Deyrolle and his son. Both lovers of Entomology they developed a thriving business based on the sale of insects and hunting equipment for natural history collections while developing a parallel activity of taxidermy. Anything that is collected in Deyrolle in the atmosphere of a huge private collection of curiosities, is for learning and knowledge of natural things. By 1870's the Deyrolle House was also well known for providing schools and universities with scientific equipment and educational charts.

For me there is one must-do while being in Paris: a visit to Deyrolle on 46, Rue du Bac. When I wander around this store slash cabinet de curiosités slash museum of mounted animals that also branches out as a publishing house for educational material, I feel like a young adventurer who stepped out of the civilized world. Standing next to a seven feet tall brown bear makes me feel slightly insignificant. And the complex patterns on the wings of the cased butterflies make me realize that the best art is created by nature itself – blissfully ignorant of the beauty it produces.

Therefore the news about the fire two years ago struck me with sadness and fear. Had this institution, that over the past century and a half educated school children in France about the wonders of the natural world, been destroyed by a simple short circuit? Luckily, I wasn’t the only one who worried about the fate of Deyrolle, and with the help of the likes of Hermès and the Parisian creative and royal elite, Deyrolle rose from the ashes.