Philatelic document - Bernard Germain de Lacepède

Naturalist, musician, politician and historian, Lacepède was a major figure from the end of the Ancien Régime to the Restoration. Born in Agen, he developed a passion for science and music at an early age, and embarked on a career in both fields. He composed several works, including an opera (lost), and published Poétique de la Musique (1785), in which he sought to understand the origins of the art and build an aesthetic theory. At the same time, he studied the phenomena of electricity. But his research turned resolutely towards zoology from 1784, when he obtained a position at the Jardin du Roi (forerunner of the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle) thanks to the protection of the naturalist and philosopher Buffon, whose great work, Histoire naturelle, he continued. Between 1788 and 1804, he published volumes on reptiles, amphibians, fish and cetaceans, becoming one of Europe's leading specialists on these animals. In particular, he developed bold views on the evolution of species. During the French Revolution, he turned to politics and became a deputy to the Legislative Assembly, but as a moderate, he was forced to leave Paris under the Terror, only to return after the fall of Robespierre. He then resumed a brilliant scientific career, obtaining a chair at the Muséum and joining the Institut in 1795. He became close to Bonaparte, who entrusted him with high office after the 18 Brumaire. Appointed to the Conservative Senate (1799), in 1803 he became the first Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honor, the only civilian in history to have held this title. He developed and organized this institution, and contributed to the creation of its educational institutions. Disgraced during the Restoration, he devoted his final years to writing a monumental Histoire Générale de l'Europe (General History of Europe), which was not published until after his death. Stéphane Schmitt, Research Director, CNRS, Nancy.

Timbre-poste (taille-douce) : création Geneviève Marot d'après photo © Darchivio/opale.photo. Gravure André Lavergne. Document philatélique : création mise en page Geneviève Marot, d’après photo BnF. Cachet d’oblitération : création Geneviève Marot. Texte : Stéphane Schmitt, Directeur de recherche, CNRS, Nancy