To mark the end of 2022, the Aquarium de Paris is collaborating with Larousse publishing house, offering visitors the chance to discover illustrations from its Petit Larousse, first published in 1898.

At the dawn of the 20th century, the naturalist illustrations in encyclopedias and dictionaries were the general public's first contact with the magic of the ocean.

With the birth of marine biology, the general public became fascinated by the search for life in the deep sea, and discovered the reality of a hitherto unknown world. This led to the development of naturalistic drawing, as well as the first aquariums.

The plates presented in this exhibition come from the Larousse publishing collection and were published in the Petit Larousse du XXème siècle dictionary. Created by Adolphe Millot, illustrator for the Muséum National d'Histoires Naturelles, these drawings combine the skills of a draughtsman, the artistic qualities of a painter and the knowledge of a scientist.

"Science describes nature, poetry paints and embellishes it. Louis L. De Buffon, Artist, Biologist, Writer, Mathematician, Naturalist, Philosopher, Scientist (1707 - 1788).

Les Trésors des éditions Larousse from October 22, 2022 to January 10, 2023 at the Aquarium de Paris (accessible at no extra charge).