Haven’t you ever wondered about the lives lived within these walls? The Fondation Dosne-Thiers stands before us a testament to history and intellect. It is a museum and library in Paris’s 9th arrondissement. The Fondation Dosne-Thiers carries the names of Adolphe Thiers and his wife Élise Dosne. Adolphe Thiers was a French president in the 1870s. They both lived here.
Let’s step back in time. In 1832, Alexis Dosne bought this property. He was a stockbroker. It was located in the Nouvelle Athènes district. In 1833, his eldest daughter Élise married Adolphe Thiers. Thiers penned his “History of the Consulate and the Empire” right here.
Tragedy struck in May 1871. The Hôtel Dosne-Thiers was destroyed during the Commune de Paris. It was then rebuilt between 1873 and 1875. Alfred-Philibert Aldrophe was the architect behind the reconstruction.
In 1905, Félicie Dosne, Adolphe Thiers’ sister-in-law, donated the hôtel to the Institut de France. Her wish was for it to become a modern library. She especially wanted it to focus on French history.
During World War I, the Hôtel Dosne-Thiers transformed into a military hospital. It cared for war wounded. The academician Frédéric Masson oversaw its operation. Later, the building returned to its role as a library. Masson was a historian who specialized in the Napoleonic era. He bequeathed his manuscripts, drawings, prints, books, and collection of objects and paintings to the Fondation.
Throughout the 20th century, the library expanded. It acquired legacies, donations, and purchases. These covered the period from the Revolution to World War I. The collections include correspondence received by Louis Decazes and original manuscripts by Henry Houssaye. There is also correspondence received by Damas-Hinard and fonds from Jules Claretie.
The Fondation Dosne-Thiers offers more than just historical documents. Vast elegant salons grace the ground floor and first floor. They are available for various events. These include study days, exhibitions, and concerts. They have even served as sets for films and television shows. Frédéric Masson’s collection of objects and paintings is regularly loaned for exhibitions. These exhibitions focus on the First Empire.
The Bibliothèque Thiers is a specialized study library. It focuses on 19th-century French history. It is an annex of the Bibliothèque de l’Institut de France. Researchers and students are welcome here.
In 2011, the Bibliothèque Thiers boasted an impressive collection. It included roughly 156,000 volumes and 1,500 titles of old periodicals. It also held 30,000 prints and caricatures plus 1,000 drawings and 2,357 boxes of manuscripts.
The library continues to grow. Through gifts and purchases, it acquires documents. These documents help it complement its existing collections.
The Fondation Dosne-Thiers is more than a building. It is a repository of history. It is a place of learning. It is a testament to the enduring power of knowledge. It links us to the past. It inspires us for the future.