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Key figures

Origin and history

The Maison de l'Armateur, built around 1790 by architect Paul Michel Thibault, is distinguished by its unique organization around a well of central light spread over five levels. In 1800, the shipowner Martin Pierre Foäche acquired it and entrusted Pierre-Adrien Pâris, royal draftsman, with the completion of his interior decor. This building illustrates the way of life of the havres maritime elites between 1750 and 1850.

The house was badly damaged during the September 1944 bombings (lost roof and gable wall), and was rescued by a post-war emergency outburst. Repurchased by the city of Le Havre in 1950, it became an ambitious museum project. Its gradual restoration from 1975 onwards preserves its original residential character, while adapting it to its new cultural vocation.

Inaugurated as a museum in 2006 after a complete restructuring, the Maison de l'Armateur presents today collections organized by thematic levels: maritime trading on the ground floor, private apartments on intermediate floors, and spaces dedicated to harbour urban planning and navigation at higher levels. The 20 original pieces, of modest size, welcome art objects and period furniture in accordance with their historical use (kitchen, music salon, model cabinet).

The museum houses remarkable ensembles such as the glass collection composed by Alphonse Saladin and Reynold Arnould, or four family portraits commissioned by Alexandre Roslin. These acquisitions, supplemented by works of the eighteenth century (including a study of a black servant by Pierre David d'Angers), illustrate both the opulence of the Havre shipowners and the cultural exchanges linked to the great trade. The establishment also maintains visual records of the urban development of Le Havre and port facilities.

Ranked among the Musées de France, this house-museum today embodies the memory of the pre-industrial Havre. His scientific and cultural project highlights the social codes of the commercial elites, while documenting the economic transformations of a major port. The reconstruction of historic interiors, combined with thematic exhibition spaces, makes it a unique place to understand the golden age of Norman maritime trade.

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