Deyrolle, two centuries of history serving the passion for Nature
1831: Creation of the Deyrolle house by Jean-Baptiste Deyrolle
Jean-Baptiste Deyrolle, preparer at the Brussels museum, created Maison Deyrolle to supply the collections of natural science museums and private collectors at this time of major scientific expeditions. His son Achille, with whom he shares a passion for entomology, accompanies him at the start of this family saga. His two other sons, Narcisse and Henri, were sent respectively on scientific expeditions to Brazil (1843 to 1847) and Gabon (1858).
Portrait of Jean-Baptiste Deyrolle in his office
1840: Exceptional expertise
Achille Deyrolle proves the expertise of the house by preparing one of the first Asian elephants preserved in Europe, in Tournai.
Elephant stuffed by Deyrolle © Natural History Museum of Tournai
1860: Deyrolle scientific publisher
Deyrolle adds scientific publishing to his naturalist activity. The company, then equipped with a specialized bookstore, published the bulletins of French and foreign scientific societies.
Letter from Achille Deyrolle
Source: Archives of the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, cited in the scientific publication Naturae, in “Deyrolle from father to son, between science and commerce, a Parisian showcase of Natural History in the 19th century” by Martine Faure.
1866: Industrial development
Émile Deyrolle takes over the House founded by his grandfather. Natural history is experiencing a real craze. He continued his work as a taxidermist and developed the educational vocation of the House. He devotes a large part of his activity to the publication and sale of specialized works on fauna and flora, and stands out in enriching collections as an expert at natural history auctions. Achille and Henri Deyrolle were recognized entomologists.
The Boeuf Gras from the 1867 carnival festival in Paris, acquired by the butcher A. Flancre, stuffed beef, made by Deyrolle facing the imperial tribune of Napoleon III, during the solemn distribution of the rewards awarded to the winners of the Universal Exhibition , on July 1, 1867, in the Palais de l'Industrie, on the Champs-Élysées. Photograph taken from M. FAURE "Deyrolle from father to son, between science and commerce, a Parisian showcase of Natural History in the 19th century", in the Naturae magazine, 2023, fig. 5 p. 181.
1872: Creation of the first educational boards
Creation of the first educational boards. The first series cover subjects related to natural history and industry (osteology, anatomy, zoology, botany, geology and mineralogy). Two contributors will be at the origin of this first iconography which is now emblematic. Gaston Bonnier, emeritus botanist and professor at the Sorbonne and ENS, and Théophile Deyrolle, Emile's little brother, artist trained at the Beaux-Arts in Paris, and founder of the Concarneau painting school. These boards will adorn the classroom walls of schools in France and abroad: they will be translated at the time into Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese and English!
Old Deyrolle board on anatomy
1880: Rise of the educational vocation
With the Jules Ferry law of 1881 for free and compulsory primary school, Deyrolle's activity diversified: from now on, the House creates, manufactures and distributes educational materials for schools, colleges, laboratories, high schools and universities: boards, books, school furniture, physics and chemistry instruments, botany and anatomy models... The subject of the boards diversifies according to developments in society, going from botany to zoology, from anatomy to civics, physics, chemistry, physical education, health and geography…
Overview of the “Les Fils d’Emile Deyrolle” factory
1888: Installation at the current address of 46 rue du Bac, Paris 7th
After starting out on the Right Bank and setting up huge carpentry, taxidermy and glassworks workshops in Auteuil, rue Chanez, Émile Deyrolle set up his offices and store at the current address of 46 rue du Bac (Paris 7th), in the former private mansion of the son of Louis XIV's banker. Deyrolle is at the heart of the excitement caused by the next Universal Exhibition, where the Eiffel Tower will notably be inaugurated in 1889! The company won several prizes at exhibitions, including a gold medal in 1878 in Paris and an honorary diploma in 1884 in New Orleans, distinguishing itself as a leading figure in teaching and scientific innovation in France and internationally.
Ticket for the 1889 Universal Exhibition
1890: Deyrolle FIRST supplier of public education
Deyrolle has become the leading provider of public education and a world-renowned institution. Thanks to its universal language through images, Deyrolle addresses a particularly wide audience. Nearly 120 countries are involved in the distribution of Deyrolle educational materials: it’s time for “Object Lessons”.
Deyrolle Board Object Lessons on Cocoa
1920-1930: Deyrolle and the artists
The artists of Montparnasse and the surrealist movement gave a new dynamic to the district. Deyrolle, a stone's throw from Montparnasse, became an essential place of inspiration and a high point of Parisian artistic life of the time. André Breton, Salvador Dali, Gertrude Stein are familiar with the House.
Painting The Butterfly Boat by Salvador Dali, a regular at the Deyrolle house
1940-1960: Deyrolle goes through history
The printing works were bombed during the war, the taxidermists, formerly around thirty in Paris alone, closed one after the other... School programs abandoned object lessons, and the world of images was transformed with photography, which anticipated the digital. But Deyrolle survives, closing its factories, but leaving the lights at 46 rue du Bac always on thanks to the efforts of the family's descendants, and the attachment of a worldwide audience marked by the images of their childhood.
Front of Deyrolle at 46 rue du Bac, Paris 7th
1970: End of the family saga
The family saga ends, Deyrolle leaves the historic family. The owners succeeded one another until the purchase in 2001 by Louis Albert de Broglie, the current owner.
Classified portal of the facade of 46 rue du Bac, Paris 7th, address of Deyrolle
2001: The revival
Louis Albert de Broglie, a committed entrepreneur with a passion for biodiversity, bought Maison Deyrolle. He imprints his ecosystem vision around the Nature Art Education triptych on all the activities of the House. “In the past, Deyrolle explained the earth to as many people as possible. Today, Deyrolle must explain how to preserve it,” explains Louis Albert de Broglie.
Prince Louis Albert de Broglie, owner of Deyrolle
From 2005: The return of Art
Deyrolle's tradition of proximity to the art world has also been renewed. Deyrolle regularly exhibits artists whose work linked to Nature resonates with the values of the House.
Damien Hirst exhibition with Deyrolle: The Cabinet of Curiosities, Meaning (Hope, Immortality and Death in Paris, Now and Then) Prudence Cuming Associates © Damien Hirst and Science Ltd. DACS 2014
2007: Deyrolle for the Future
Deyrolle is adapting to the major environmental and societal challenges of the 21st century with the creation of new educational content. The board publishing activity is relaunched in a collection called “Deyrolle pour l'Avenir”, which finds its way to thousands of schools in France. Deyrolle has also created a Deyrolle Pedagogy for reconnection to Nature.
Board from the “Deyrolle pour l’Avenir” collection on pollination
2008: Fire and resilience
On February 1, 2008, a terrible fire ravaged Deyrolle and destroyed more than 90% of the collections. It immediately sparked an avalanche of expressions of sympathy from a public who refused to see this heritage, both Parisian and global, disappear. Deyrolle then mobilizes artists who will imagine works based on the remains of the fire: Sophie Calle, Johan Creten, Mark Dion, Jan Fabre, Bettina Rheims, Bernar Venet, Nan Goldin, Huan Yong Ping, Jacques Grange, lend themselves to the Thu. These works are sold at auction by Christie's for the benefit of the restoration and reconstitution of the collections.
A firefighter in one of the Deyrolle rooms after the fire
2009: Midnight in Deyrolle
Woody Allen comes to film at Deyrolle for his film Midnight in Paris. In a flashback scene taking place in the 1930s, Marion Cotillard and Owen Wilson go to meet Gertrude Stein and Hemingway (among others) at a party taking place at Deyrolle, an essential address of the time!
Marion Cotillard at Deyrolle during the filming of the film Midnight in Paris by Woody Allen. © Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen (2009)
2010: The craze & editorial successes
The book Deyrolle, Leçons de choses (ed. Michel Lafon), a beautiful book illustrated with the marvelous Deyrolle boards, is a bestseller and sells hundreds of thousands of copies. These images are Proust’s madeleines and touch all generations. Since then, Deyrolle has continued to bring its extraordinary iconographic heritage to life through works with numerous publishers, in France (Gallimard, Flammarion, La Martinière, Gründ, Gallimard Jeunesse, Plume de Carotte) and abroad (certain works have been translated into Chinese, Russian, Japanese, Danish, English, etc.).
Deyrolle, Object Lessons (ed. Michel Lafon), sold hundreds of thousands of copies
2013: Recognized know-how
Deyrolle obtains the EPV “Living Heritage Company” label. This French label is a mark of recognition from the State which rewards French companies for the excellence of their know-how and their belonging to the national historical heritage.
State label EPV (Living Heritage Company)
2014: Co-creation of Fermes d’Avenir
Deyrolle sponsors Fermes d'Avenir and is working alongside La Bourdaisière to create the network's first microfarm, an agroecology farm inspired by permaculture.
First farm in the Fermes d’Avenir network at the Château-hôtel de La Bourdaisière (Deyrolle Group)
2015: Deyrolle partner of COP21
Deyrolle is an official partner of COP21 for education, as part of its commitment and its missions in pedagogy for the preservation of biodiversity.
2019: Deyrolle partner of the Salon des Beaux Arts
Since 2019, the Salon des Beaux-Arts, created in 1862 by Eugène Delacroix, has awarded a Deyrolle Prize which rewards each year an artist from the Naturalist Section.
2016: Creation of Deyrolle Territoires
To continue to disseminate its commitments in terms of preserving and promoting living things, Deyrolle is creating a biodiversity & ecological and societal transition consulting center: Deyrolle Territoires.
Deyrolle Territoires today supports public and private actors to accelerate their ecological transition through the original Nature Art Education® methodology, at all levels of a project, from design to completion.
Deyrolle Territoires carries out the following missions: Biodiversity advice and support, Immersive training on biodiversity issues, Ecosystem creation, Landscape design, Raising awareness among all audiences, etc.
Various projects Deyrolle Territories
2020: Deyrolle Inspires
Always keen to respond to the challenges of its time, Deyrolle created Deyrolle Inspire in 2020 with the aim of promoting the emblematic iconography and values of the Deyrolle house.
Deyrolle Inspire creates and imagines, for all generations, meaningful brand collaborations, responsible derivative products and designs exhibitions around the knowledge of living things.
Exhibitions and collaborations Inspire
Today: Nature Art Education
Deyrolle continues to promote its heritage Cabinet of Curiosities at 46 rue du Bac in Paris. Deyrolle extends its historic DNA by developing new consulting activities around the preservation of biodiversity and the management of change. Deyrolle has also become a creative platform that promotes Nature, its heritage, its iconography and its commitment through exhibitions, partnerships and editorial projects. All the
Deyrolle's activities today are based on his Nature Art Education triptych.
View of the Deyrolle store today.
