I really want to go to Deyrolle…

Picasso, he should have been a taxidermist!

“I’ve done your dog. It’s got nine eyes down the side, I made his head all square, 15 legs. What do you think of that?”

“Fido looks a bit weird”. Eddie Izzard

I’m going to Paris. I’M GOING TO PARIS!!! In September. Yeah, baby!

So, in addition to soaking up all the sights and sounds and tastes and smells, what I really want to do is visit Deyrolle.

According to Vanity Fair’s ‘Animal House’ article, “Jean-Baptiste Deyrolle, a renowned entomologist, founded his taxidermy business in 1831. He passed on the store and his passion for the natural sciences to his son Achille, who became famous for mounting a Ceylonese elephant. (For reasons that are not hard to imagine, pachyderm taxidermy is among the most difficult and intricate kinds.) Achille’s son Émile moved Deyrolle to its fabled premises, at 46 Rue du Bac, in 1888. By then, the enterprise included not only taxidermy but also scientific equipment and furniture, along with printing and publishing, and employed more than 300 people. The Deyrolles were especially famous for their educational posters, which were translated into numerous languages and sold throughout the world. Deyrolle continued as a family business until 1978, when it was sold and fell into a period of slow decline.”

“Then Prince Louis Albert de Broglie took charge. Among Parisians, who regard the shop as their own and who are, by definition, opposed to change, there were the usual nervous mutterings. No one expected Louis Albert to bring Deyrolle back to its former glory—or more. But that is exactly what he did. He completely overhauled the establishment, refurbishing the ground floor, removing all the small offices on the second, and bringing the wood paneling back to its original 18th-century condition. Meanwhile, he immersed himself in the far-flung affairs of Deyrolle, convincing collectors and suppliers alike of his serious commitment to entomology and taxidermy. In time, the great collections were restored to their haunting magnificence.”

Doesn’t it just make you itch to visit?

Deyrolle can be found at 46 Rue du Bac, 75007 Paris. The photographs are incredible but I, for one, can’t wait to see it in person!