Visit our French History Page!

by Kathryn Hadley

I have just updated our French History Resources page with three new exhibitions currently on show in Paris...

France is also celebrating the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth! For a French perspective on Darwin's contribution to the history of evolution and the debates surrounding the origin of the human species, visit the new interactive exhibition 'De Toumai a Sapiens: la ruee vers l'Homme' at the Cite des Sciences in Paris. I have not had the opportunity to visit the exhibition myself yet, so any comments and reviews would be very welcome!

To find out about the man who designed some of France's most famous buildings, including the dome of Les Invalides and the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, an exhibition devoted to the career of Jules Hardouin-Mansart is being held at the Musee Carnavalet in the Marais area in Paris until the end of June.

And if you are visiting the Marais area and wish to see Marie-Antoinette's last letter or Napoleon I's will, pay a visit to the French National Archives, which is currently hosting an exhibition to mark the 200th anniversary since the national archives were moved to their current location in the heart of Paris!

For more information on each of the exhibitions, visit our French History Resources page.

For some background reading on Darwin, read our articles The Descent of Genius: Charles Darwin's Brilliant Career and America's Difficulty with Darwin
For more information about the Hotel National des Invalides, read our article Les Invalides, Paris