#Arsène Houssaye

[phoenix-joy]

Content Warning: The Smithsonian Magazine article contains minor details regarding the deceased individual's skin that may distress certain readers. I have tried to avoid anything I deemed unnecessary in the extracts I have chosen to replicate.

Note: I'll definitely need to revisit this when I have more time to investigate the details. I can't find an English translation of the book in question. I'm curious, though, as Harvard Library describes it as 'a meditation on the soul and life after death'. 

anthropodermic bibliopegy - the practice of creating book bindings from human skin.

Note: The article briefly explains some background information on this practice. I have not copied any of that for this blog post, so if you are curious then be sure to click the link for the full write-up.

Author: Sarah Kuta Publication: Smithsonian Magazine Timestamp: April 16, 2024

Extract:

Des Destinées de L’Âme, or Destinies of the Soul [was] written by French author Arsène Houssaye in 1879. [A Harvard alum] John B. Stetson Jr. lent it to the university in 1934, and [...] his widow officially donated it in 1954.

[The book's] original owner was Ludovic Bouland, a French physician who received the book directly from the author. Bouland bound the book with human skin taken, without consent, from the body of a woman who died at a French psychiatric hospital where he worked, according to [Harvard University].

[...]

Harvard—and many other institutions, including the Smithsonian—have been reviewing their collections amid a growing outcry about their possession and treatment of human remains.

[...]

“The core problem with the volume’s creation was a doctor who didn’t see a whole person in front of him and carried out an odious act of removing a piece of skin from a deceased patient, almost certainly without consent, and used it in a book binding that has been handled by many for more than a century,” says [Tom] Hyry [Associate University Librarian for Archives and Special Collections].

/end of extract

Extract from Harvard Library's statement (bold in the second paragraph is from the original text):

The removal of the human skin from Des destinées de l’âme follows a review by Houghton Library of the book’s stewardship, prompted by the recommendations of the Report of the Harvard University Steering Committee on Human Remains in University Museum Collections issued in fall 2022.

[...]

[...]  In 2014, following the scientific analysis that confirmed the book to be bound in human skin, the library published posts on the Houghton blog that utilized a sensationalistic, morbid, and humorous tone that fueled similar international media coverage.

Harvard Library acknowledges past failures in its stewardship of the book that further objectified and compromised the dignity of the human being whose remains were used for its binding. We apologize to those adversely affected by these actions. 

/end of extract

Extracts from Harvard Library's 'Ask a Librarian' entry regarding Des destinées de l’âme:

 A handwritten note by Bouland inserted into the volume states that “a book about the human soul deserved to have a human covering.”

[...]

A memo accompanying the book written by John Stetson, which has since been lost, [the] skin [belonged to] an unknown deceased woman patient from a French psychiatric hospital.

[...]

The human remains will be given a respectful disposition that seeks to restore dignity to the woman whose skin was used. The Library is now in the process of conducting additional biographical and provenance research into the anonymous female patient, the book, and Bouland, as well as consulting with proper authorities in France and at the University to help determine how best to carry this out. We expect this process to take months, and perhaps longer, to come to completion.

/end of extract

Harvard Library

Ludovic Bouland - Carlos Garcia Pozo, El Mundo

Arsène Houssaye - Getty Images

John B. Stetson Jr. - Wikidpedia

[frimleyblogger]

Book Binding Of The Week

I cannot say that I have given anthropodermic bibliopegy much thought but the practice of using human skin as a form of binding for a book has recently been in the headlines when Harvard University announced that it was removing the binding from the copy of, appropriately enough, Des Destinées de l’Ame they have held since the 1930s. The book, written by Arsène Houssaye in the 1880s, a…

[xtruss]

Harvard Removes Book Binding Made From Dead Woman's Skin From Library! The Skin-bound Version of "Des destinées de l’âme" Was at Harvard Since 1934.

For nearly a century, a library at Harvard University had a book bound by human skin — until a recent decision to remove it. Arsène Houssaye's "Des destinées de l'âme" was published in 1879, however, the volume in question was bound in a Woman's Skin by French physician Dr. Ludovic Bouland and has been in the university's collection since 1934, according to a Harvard announcement. Bouland bound the book with skin he took "Without Consent" from the body of an unnamed deceased female patient from a French Psychiatric Hospital where he worked.

— ByLeah Sarnoff | March 28, 2024

For nearly a century, the Hallowed Halls of Harvard University's Houghton Library had a book bound by Human Skin among the of 20 Million Books — until a recent decision to remove it.

Arsène Houssaye’s "Des destinées de l’âme" was published in 1879, however, the volume in question was bound in Human Skin by French physician Dr. Ludovic Bouland and has been in the University's Collection since 1934, according to Harvard's announcement Wednesday.

The book's premise is a reflection on the soul and life after death, and a handwritten note by Bouland inserted into the volume states that "a book about the human soul deserved to have a human covering," according to the University.

Arsène Houssaye’s "Des destinées de l’âme" was published in 1879 and was bound in human skin by Dr. Ludovic Bouland. Harvard University

Dr. Bouland bound the book with skin he took "without consent" from the body of an unnamed deceased female patient from a French psychiatric hospital where he worked, the announcement said.

The removal of the human skin from the book follows a review by Houghton Library, prompted by the recommendations of the Fall 2022 report from the Harvard University Steering Committee on Human Remains in University Museum Collections.

However, Paul Needham, a prominent scholar of early modern books and Harvard alumni, told ABC News the decision follows a consistent, 10-year call to remove the binding and an open letter he co-authored that was published as an advertisement in The Harvard Crimson this month.

"I first raised the question with the library almost 10 years ago, in June 2014. And I requested they should have the human skin respectfully removed and given a decent burial," Needham said. "I think that the open letter is what finally moved them really to take action and make a statement because until yesterday we have not gotten the university to say a single word about binding in almost 10 years."

Arsène Houssaye’s "Des destinées de l’âme" was published in 1879 and was bound in human skin by Dr. Ludovic Bouland. Harvard University

"I'm very glad that they finally have made a statement," Needham added. "It is absolutely the right thing to do."

Harvard University declined to comment on Needham's open letter to ABC News.

In 2014, the University publicly confirmed that the binding was made from human skin, however, the 19th-century book remained available to "anyone who asked for it," Harvard said in the statement, "regardless of their reason for wishing to consult it."

A Harvard library associate revealed that "decades ago" the book was used to "haze" Houghton Library student employees by asking them to "retrieve the book without being told it included human remains," according to Harvard's press release.

In this Feb. 20, 2008, file photo, the Houghton Library is shown on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Tom Hyry, Harvard's associate university librarian for archives and Anne-Marie Eze, associate librarian of Houghton Library conducted a Q&A on Wednesday where they explained why the book remained in the collection for nearly a century.

"We’ve been working towards this for a few years now as part of the University’s larger project of addressing human remains in its collections," Eze, who chaired a Houghton Library task force researching the practice of binding books in human skin, said. "The review confirmed that we can have reasonable certainty that Bouland removed and utilized the skin without consent."

Addressing the "past failures in our stewardship of the book," Hyry apologized and maintained that the University is "determined to move forward with care."

"We apologize on behalf of Harvard Library for past failures in our stewardship of the book that further objectified and compromised the dignity of the human being at the center," Hyry said. "We are determined to move forward with care, sensitivity, and ethical responsibility and are committed to best practices in the field, including reflection and correcting historical errors. "

The human binding was removed from "Des destinées de l’âme" in March and is currently in secure storage at the Harvard Library, according to Eze, who noted, "The library is consulting with appropriate authorities at the University and in France to determine an appropriate and respectful way of laying the remains to rest."

[andronetalks]

Harvard removes book binding made from dead woman's skin from library

ABC News By Leah SarnoffMarch 28, 2024, 6:06 PM For nearly a century, the hallowed halls of Harvard University’s Houghton Library had a book bound by human skin among the Ivy League’s collection of 20 million books — until a recent decision to remove it. Arsène Houssaye’s “Des destinées de l’âme” was published in 1879, however, the volume in question was bound in human skin by French physician…

[odditiesifancy]

Breaking News

Harvard Library has announced that they had removed human skin from the binding of their copy of Des destinées de l’âme, a book first published in 1879 by French author Arsène Houssaye.

The decision to remove the human skin from the binding followed a review by Harvard Library of the book’s stewardship, which was prompted by recommendations from the Report of the Harvard University Steering Committee on Human Remains in University Museum Collections, issued in the Autumn of 2022.

The review concluded that the human remains in the book’s binding no longer have a place in Harvard Library’s collections.

The Library is now in the process of conducting additional provenance and biographical research into the book and the anonymous female patient whose skin was used to make the binding.

The Library will be consulting with appropriate authorities at the University and in France to determine a final respectful disposition of these human remains.

#historyfacts #history #community #heritage #archaeoloynews #archaeologist #archaeology #archaeological #archaeologylife #historylovers #historyinthemaking #historymatters #history #historyfacts

Source: Facebook

Services Archaeology and Heritage Association

[ausetkmt]

March 28, 2024, 11:28 AM EDT

Harvard University removed human skin from the binding of "Des Destinées de L'âme" in Houghton Library on Wednesday after a review found ethical concerns with the book's origin and history.

French physician Dr. Ludovic Bouland “bound the book with skin he took without consent from the body of a deceased female patient in a hospital where he worked,” according to Harvard Library.  

Bouland included a handwritten note inside stating that “a book about the human soul deserved to have a human covering,” associate university librarian Thomas Hyry said in a published Q&A. The note also detailed the process behind preparing the skin for binding.

The removal was prompted by a library review following the Harvard University report on human remains in its museum collections.

"Harvard Library and the Harvard Museum Collections Returns Committee concluded that the human remains used in the book’s binding no longer belong in the Harvard Library collections, due to the ethically fraught nature of the book’s origins and subsequent history," a statement from the library said Wednesday.

The removed skin is now in "secure storage at Harvard Library," Anne-Marie Eze, Houghton Library associate librarian, said in the Q&A.

The library will be conducting additional research into the book, Bouland and the anonymous female patient. It is also working with French authorities to determine a "final respectful disposition," it said.

Bouland received his copy of "Des Destinées de L'âme," or "Destinies of the Soul," from the author, Arsène Houssaye, in the early 1880s. The book has been in the Harvard Library collection since 1934 on deposit from John B. Stetson Jr., a philanthropist and businessman.

[julesofnature]

Nature is still the best of painters.

Arsène Houssaye

[t0rschlusspan1k]

After it emerged in April that, despite an inscription claiming that its binding was formed from "all that remains of my dear friende Jonas Wright", the 17th-century book Practicarum Quaestionum Circa Leges Regias Hispaniae was actually bound with sheepskin, Harvard University set out to test the provenance of an unusual binding on a copy of Arsène Houssaye's Des destinées de l'ame.

Dating to the 1880s, the book includes a note by its binder Dr Ludovic Bouland, which claims it is "bound in human skin parchment on which no ornament has been stamped to preserve its elegance". "By looking carefully you easily distinguish the pores of the skin," wrote Bouland. "A book about the human soul deserved to have a human covering: I had kept this piece of human skin taken from the back of a woman."

Conservators and scientists at Harvard subjected the binding to several different tests, taking microscopic samples and analysing them with peptide mass fingerprinting – which identifies proteins to create a "peptide mass fingerprint" and identify the source. According to Bill Lane, the director of the Harvard Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Resource Laboratory, and Daniel Kirby of the Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, the peptide mass fingerprint "matched the human reference, and clearly eliminated other common parchment sources, such as sheep, cattle and goat", but "other closely related primates, such as the great apes and gibbons, could not be eliminated because of the lack of necessary references".

The samples were then tested using Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry, said Harvard, "to determine the order of amino acids, the building blocks of each peptide, which can be different in each species". And "the analytical data, taken together with the provenance of Des destinées de l'ame, make it very unlikely that the source could be other than human," said Lane.

Harvard called the discovery "good news for fans of anthropodermic bibliopegy, bibliomaniacs and cannibals alike". Anthropodermic bibliopegy is the practice of binding books in human skin, something which enjoyed a spate of popularity in the 19th century, but which has occurred since at least the 1500s.

Antiquarian bookseller Tim Bryars, who runs a shop in London's Cecil Court, said that "anthropodermic biblopegy has a grisly pull on everyone who has heard of it, booksellers included", but that "identifying the origin of some leathers used historically in bookbinding can be tricky".

"But does that mean that leather-bound books on your shelves at home might involve human remains? It's highly unlikely," said Bryars. "Most examples seem to cover works on anatomy and trial reports (sometimes bound in the skin of the accused), the product of a different age, an entirely different way of thinking, and the provenance is generally well attested, the whereabouts known."

He pointed to the case of John Horwood, who was hanged for murder in Bristol almost 200 years ago, his skin used to bind an account of the case.

"It is a sensitive issue, there are sometimes surviving descendants to consider, and I might be squeamish about selling such a book privately, but I'd be happy to handle a transaction which saw the book placed in an institution," said Bryars. "But I do think these are significant historical artefacts, worthy of conservation and study."

[frevandrest]

"Saint - Just, beau, éloquent et brave comme le dieu tonnant de la Révolution."

Arsène Houssaye, Notre-Dame de Thermidor

Guys, I found another one! Another 19c thirst for SJ - this time, in a book about Theresia, Tallien, and Thermidor. (The above line is just a small mention; there are more passages about SJ's beauty, courage, eloquence, importance, and did I mention beauty?) Shdhffj

[thisdayinwwi]

Nov 11 1920 OTD in Paris

Nov 11 1920 OTD Roger Dumas takes these 101-year-old colour autochrome photos of the 50th anniversary of the Third Republic in Paris

Vue sur l'avenue des Champs-Elysées, la rue Arsène-Houssaye et la rue de Tilsit depuis un balcon de l\'hôtel Astoria pour le Cinquantenaire de la IIIe République, Paris (VIIIe arr.), France, A 24 569 X

Le Cinquantenaire de la IIIe République depuis un balcon de l'hôtel Astoria, avenue des Champs-Elysées, Paris (VIIIe arr.), France, A 24 568 X

La place de la Concorde la nuit, à l'occasion du Cinquantenaire de la IIIe République, Paris (VIIIe arr.), France, A 24 572 X

La foule à l'Arc de Triomphe à l'occasion du Cinquantenaire de la IIIe République, Paris (VIIIe arr.), France, A 24 565 X 11 novembre 1920 Source: Albert-Kahn Museum / Department of Hauts-de-Seine

[trashpoppaea]

Here is a totally true, 100% factual story of how an angelic teenager spat a rosebud into Theresia Tallien’s face-- from Arsène Houssaye’s 1867 biography. @frevandrest @tierseta

[elealaureenauteur1]

"Les morts ne meurent pas tout à fait pour ceux qu'ils ont aimés ou pour ceux qui les ont aimés. Comme le soleil qui vient de se coucher dans l'Océan, ils répandent encore de vives lumières si on se tourne vers eux. Il semble que leur âme colore toujours les chers souvenirs comme le soleil disparu colore encore les nuages à l'horizon."

~ Arsène Houssaye ~

Horizons by Phil Koch. Lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.

[iranondeaira]

📸 Arsène Houssaye

[blackswaneuroparedux]

L'Académie est plus qu'une institution, c'est une habitude de la France.**

- Alphonse de Lamartine

Members of the Académie française, the intellectual high court of France. It is France's official authority on the usages, vocabulary, and grammar of the French language.

The Académie had its origins in an informal literary group deriving from the salons held at the Hôtel de Rambouillet during the late 1620s and early 1630s. The group began meeting at Valentin Conrart’s house, seeking informality.

There were then nine members. Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister of France, made himself protector of the group, and in anticipation of the formal creation of the academy, new members were appointed in 1634. On 22 February 1635, at Richelieu’s urging, King Louis XIII granted letters patent formally establishing the council.

According to the letters patent registered at the Parlement de Paris on 10 July 1637, the Académie française was “to labour with all the care and diligence possible, to give exact rules to our language, to render it capable of treating the arts and sciences”.

The Académie française has remained responsible for the regulation of French grammar, spelling, and literature.

It has no more than 40 seats at any one time, each of which is assigned a separate number. Candidates make their applications for a specific seat, not to the Académie in general: if several seats are vacant, a candidate may apply separately for each. Since a newly elected member is required to eulogise his or her predecessor in the installation ceremony, it is not uncommon that potential candidates refuse to apply for particular seats because they dislike the predecessors.

New members are elected by the Académie itself. (The original members were appointed.) When a seat becomes vacant, a person may apply to the Secretary if she or he wishes to become a candidate. Alternatively, existing members may nominate other candidates. A candidate is elected by a majority of votes from voting members. A quorum is twenty members. If no candidate receives an absolute majority, another election must be performed at a later date. The election is valid only if the protector of the Académie, the President of France, grants his approval.

Members are known as les Immortels (the Immortals) because of the motto, À l'immortalité ("To Immortality"), that is on the official seal of the charter granted by Cardinal Richelieu.

Many notable French writers have not become members of the Académie française. During 1855, the writer Arsène Houssaye devised the expression "forty-first seat" for deserving individuals who were never elected to the Académie, either because their candidacies were rejected, because they were never candidates, or because they died before appropriate vacancies arose. Notable French authors who never became academicians include Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Jean-Paul Sartre, Joseph de Maistre, Honoré de Balzac, René Descartes, Denis Diderot, Romain Rolland, Charles Baudelaire, Gustave Flaubert, Molière, Marcel Proust, Jules Verne, Théophile Gautier, and Émile Zola.

**The Academy is more than an institution, it is a habit of France.

[julesofnature]

“Nature is still the best of painters.”  ~Arsène Houssaye

[livreria]

Mais, pour dire le vrai, je crains que ma jalousie ne m'ait pas porté bonheur

Charles Baudelaire in A Arsène Houssaye