Picture collection

PORTRAIT BASE

The Library holds an Image fund mostly based on a collection of portraits of physicians and scientists of all countries and all times, with a total of 4500 prints and 3000 photographs.

This fund is unique in France,  thanks to the passion of a physician from Lyon, Jean-Marie-Placide Munaret (1805-1877). The  collection, 3557 portraits in all, was acquired in 1892.

The collection was to be considerably enriched later with important gifts from : Miss Dodu, goddaughter of Larrey (200 portraits), Marjolin, in 1895 (200 portraits), Bergeron, Steinheil and, more recently, Chevassu.

The portrait Base has been enriched, year after year, by photographs coming from modest or prestigious photographers (Nadar, Trinquart, Small), heliographies, caricatures and photomechanical reproductions of portraits of the medical celebrities of the end of XIXth century or beginning of the XXth century.

7500 portraits are registered in the collection which has been included in the Inter-Universities of Medicine Portraits base and can be consulted on line.