The Duke of Aumale’s diaries

Documents accessible to everyone online!

The diaries of the Duke of Aumale are a historical source of prime importance, frequently consulted by researchers. Thanks to the Friends of the Musée Condé, the museum’s library has been able to implement an ambitious restoration and digitization project to facilitate safe access to this exceptional collection of documents.

The prince’s diaries

The diaries of the Duke of Aumale, kept between 1864 and 1897, are a particularly valuable source. Henri d’Orléans recorded his activities, meetings, parties, and dinners in them. They reveal his travel itineraries and more intimate thoughts on significant events. On June 2, 1866, the Duke of Aumale expressed his despair at the news of the death of his son, Louis, who had died a month earlier in Sydney.

The diaries are a fundamental source of information, both for learning about the life of the Duke of Aumale and for gaining a deeper understanding of the history of the Château de Chantilly and the collections of the Musée Condé. The prince notes the progress of construction projects and recounts his visits to museums and churches, as well as his purchases of works of art. These documents thus contribute to constructing a history of taste in the 19th century. In the diary for 1864, on Tuesday, September 27, he wrote: “The superb temple of Theseus (…) The Acropolis disfigured by landslides, the Turkish bastions, the Tower of the Franks. The Areopagus, the Pnyx, and the two tribunes. The museum collection and the monument to Philopapus. It is only on this tour that one can understand the Acropolis and all its monuments; but from all sides the effect is striking…”

Restoration (2021-2022)

Since 1931, when they were made available to the public in accordance with the requirements of the executors of the will, the Duke of Aumale’s diaries have been frequently consulted by researchers. They have become damaged, particularly their industrial-style percaline bindings, which were not designed to last.

The 36 preserved diaries (from 1864 to 1897) have been cleaned. Tears in the paper have been repaired. The cardboard covers have been reinforced at the corners, which were often worn, and the torn caps have been repaired.

The restoration of the diaries by Atelier Émilie Diné was funded by the Friends of the Condé Museum.

Digitization and online publication (2022-2024)

The complete digitization of the volumes now makes it possible to preserve the originals. Pencil annotations will thus be protected.

The Digital Library of the Institut de France published the images on its website in the fall of 2024. As this library is harvested by Gallica, the diaries are also accessible via the BnF’s digital library.

The next step: publishing the transcriptions of the texts online to enable text searches!

Digitization and indexing, funded by the Friends of the Condé Museum.