L'Herbier de Gustave Dutailly (1846-1906)

L’Herbier de Gustave Dutailly presents a curated selection from the collection assembled by Gustave Dutailly (1846–1906) and bequeathed to the City of Chaumont. Botanist—two rose varieties bear his name—collector, and deputy of Haute-Marne, Dutailly’s collection reflects the richness and contradictions of the Belle Époque (1896–1914).

The collection mirrors the social, cultural, and technological transformations of the era. Dutailly, politically active, supported the separation of Church and State, secular compulsory education, press freedom, and workers’ rights. He was part of a left-wing bloc that stood against nationalism, antisemitism, and revanchist sentiments following the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine, contributing to a period of relative political stability under leaders such as Waldeck-Rousseau, Combes, and Clémenceau.

Against the backdrop of the Second Industrial Revolution, France saw scientific and technical progress, new leisure activities, and the rise of illustrated posters. Chromolithography enabled artists and caricaturists to explore the poster as both advertising and a medium for free expression, expanding its aesthetic and narrative possibilities.

Through posters, archival documents, reproductions, and multiples, L’Herbier de Gustave Dutailly reveals the contours of the Belle Époque and its enduring influence. Visitors encounter figures such as Jules Chéret, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Pierre Bonnard, Eugène Grasset, Victor Hugo, the Lumière brothers, Étienne-Jules Marey, Louise Michel, Nobel laureates Antoine Henri Becquerel, Pierre and Marie Curie, Buffalo Bill, and La Goulue…

Photographs : ©Lili Romanet