Deyrolle, Paris

Deyrolle is a public shop and cabinet of curiosities devoted to natural science, where taxidermy and entomology meet a long tradition of teaching. Founded in 1831, it became known for presenting animals, insects, minerals, shells, fossils, and prehistoric tools, alongside scientific material for study. Look at the entomology room’s drawers: they hold collections of butterflies, beetles, and other insects, while specialists can be seen preparing specimens with great precision.

Deyrolle’s mounted animals are generally not creatures killed for display; non-domestic animals come from zoos and parks after dying from age or illness, with protected species handled under the Washington Convention. Its educational wall charts began around 1871 under Émile Deyrolle, covering subjects from botany and zoology to anatomy, geology, and chemistry. The place also carries a dramatic recent history.

A major fire on February 1st, 2008 destroyed the entomology collections and much of the mounted-animal collection. The rooms reopened that same year, and the house returned fully in the autumn of 2009 with help from a group of artists. Today, the aim remains wonderfully direct: to show the beauty of nature.