A European Archive Ramble: Paris, Nantes, and London

Today's post comes from Erin Zavitz who recently traipsed around several European archives gathering research for her work on Haiti.  Erin is a PhD candidate in the department of history and her work on Haiti shows just how connected European history is with other regional and national histories.  So here is what Erin has to say about her tour of archives:

One of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of research is successfully tracking down sources which are scattered across libraries and archives. While my dissertation research focuses on nineteenth and twentieth-century Haiti, relevant documents are held across the Americas and Europe. After working in U.S. and Haitian institutions, I had the opportunity to follow my source leads across the Atlantic—thanks to a Chateaubriand Fellowship and a grant from the Center for European Studies.

Arriving in France in early February, I spent four months researching in Paris and Nantes and working with graduate students and faculty at the Centre International de Recherche sur les Esclavages (CIRESC). Initially shocked by a season we see little of in Florida, WINTER, I found warm welcomes at Paris's marvelous archives and libraries.

My dissertation examines how Haitians have commemorated the Haitian Revolution (1789-1804) in print, national holidays, and oral traditions. In Paris, I focused on the first two commemorative traditions. Working at the Bibliothèque Nationale, Archives Nationales, and Archives Diplomatiques, I examined the only known copies of early Haitian writings, historical and literary, on the revolution as well as nineteenth-century newspapers and holiday speeches and proclamations.

La Sentinelle de la Liberté: Journal Politique, Commercial et Agricole, 4 Janvier 1843. Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris

Arsenal

Richelieu-Louvois

 Traveling among the various Parisian institutions is a voyage through the history of architecture and archives. Both the Bibliothèque Nationale (BN) and Archives Nationales have multiple branches within the city, which I visited. First is the BN Richelieu-Louvois. Spread over several seventeenth-century luxury apartment homes, the library opened in the mid-1600s and today holds special collections such as manuscripts, maps, and photographs. Next is Arsenal that contains much of the BN’s collections of French literature and is located in the sixteenth-century residence of the Grand Master of the Artillery. The final site and where I spent most of time is BN François Mitterrand. A collection of four towers, which hold the majority of the BN’s collection, are linked by a garden and lower level research library.

François-Mitterand

Pierrefitte-sur-Seine

AN-Paris

 

The architectural diversity of the BN branches is mirrored in the two Archives Nationales (AN) collections I visited in Paris. The original AN branch is located in the center of Paris in a group of eighteenth-century city mansions. Here, I poured over consular reports from the nineteenth-century that contained valuable details on Haiti’s economic and political developments. The second and newest branch of the AN is located outside of central Paris in the suburbs. Pierrefitte-sur-Seine is at the end of metro line 13, and the ride out provides an ideal moment to catch up on reading as it will take at least 30 minutes (or if like me you’re coming from the southern edge of the city close to an hour) to reach the final stop. The branch opened in January 2013 just before I arrived in Paris, so I had the opportunity to be among some of the first to use the new facility. While the central Paris branch is full of history and charm, the new addition is state-of-the-art and worth the metro trip to suburbs.

Leaving the hustle and bustle of Paris, I got to spend three weeks in the western city of Nantes (pictured to the left) working at a branch of the Archives Diplomatiques.  The break from Paris was fabulous and I found a slew of unexpected documents at the archives. The diplomatic holdings focused on 20^th century Haiti and included programs for national holiday festivals, newspaper clippings on the celebrations, and reactions of French ambassadors. The archivists were extremely helpful and frequently suggested additional collections that would be useful for my research. Beyond the archive, Nantes was an ideal location to be working on commemorations. The city has been working on its own memory, specifically the role of Nantes in the Atlantic slave trade. It was fascinating to see how museum projects and public spaces had incorporated the diverse sides of Nantes’s history. Lastly, for outdoor enthusiasts, Nantes has a great network of bike paths and running trails along the cities multiple rivers. After hours in the archive, running, walking, or cycling through parks is a great way to unwind.  

  

London Calling…

After months in France, I took advantage of the frequent public holidays in May to hop across the English Channel to London. While a long-weekend of sight-seeing would have been ideal, I mainly went to read a rare collection of early nineteenth-century Haitian pamphlets. Recently, the historical library collection of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office transferred on permanent loan to Foyle Special Collections at King’s College London dozens of Haitian publications. The holdings, which include the only known copies of the pamphlets, are integral to my study of printed commemorations of the Haitian Revolution. These early authors were the first to deal with the question of how to write the history of the Haitian Revolution. 

Excerpt from Henry Christophe’s correspondence, this letter comes only days after the assassination of Haiti’s first head-of-state, Jean-Jacques Dessalines. Copies des lettres et pièces écrits au général en chef de l’armée d’Haïti (Au Cap : Chez P. Roux, 1806). Foyle Special Collections, King’s College London

To maximize my time, I e-mailed Foyle Special Collections in advance and the archivists pulled all the materials I requested. When I arrived, I immediately got to work reading and photographing the pamphlets. Unlike my experiences in France with busy libraries and archives, I was the only person all day at Foyle, what a luxury! On my second day in London, I traveled to the British Library and examined documents on the 150^th anniversary of Haitian independence and several issues of a newspaper from the early 1810s.

 

While my days were quite research-filled, I had a little time to explore the area near my hotel. Stumbling upon a great priceline.com deal, I stayed across the Thames from Parliament and Big Ben. This was my view in the morning as I walked to the Tube station. Wow!  

  

Further up the road, I got to see Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and Hyde Park (where I went for a quick run between rain showers).  In addition to being near some of London’s main attractions, the hotel was next to a street food fair. Just as food trucks and street food have become popular in Gainesville, London is teaming with eclectic and cheap outdoor markets. The Real Food Market at the Southbank Center runs Friday to Sunday and has an assortment of stands from traditional British meat pies to BBQ to Polish pierogies. A list of vendors and more info is at: http://www.realfoodfestival.co.uk/. The Southbank market is just one of many street food options in London. For travelers on a budget this is great option, especially in the summer!

Now back in Gainesville I am busy sorting through photos and notes and moving on the final dissertation stage, writing. My European archive ramble has definitely provided plenty of sources as well as leads for future projects.