Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Musée de La Poste, located in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, is a corporate museum dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of the French postal heritage. Its collections, of an unsuspected richness, are divided into two large sets: nearly 4,500 objects (machines, tools, working clothes, vehicles, signs, decorative art objects) and 32,500 iconographic documents (postcards, prints, posters, calendars). These funds illustrate the evolution of the postal professions, from the Chappe telegraph to the telephone, and the technical innovations and solidarity commitments of La Poste, such as the "core surtax" for the Red Cross since 1914.

The museum also houses an exceptional philatelic fonds, representing more than 70% of its collections, with 450,000 pieces including the archives of the manufacture of French postage stamps, Andorra and overseas communities. Among the treasures are the models of the presidential Marianne, such as that of 2023 created by the artist YZ, or the works of Jules Piel, stamp engraver and cartoonist who immortalized the hotels of the 19th century post offices. Since the 1990s, the museum has also developed a contemporary art fund focused on Mail Art and Post Art, with more than 5,000 pieces, including 3,000 correspondences from a donation by artist Michel Champendal.

Complementing these ensembles, an archive of 160 linear meters traces the history of the postal administration since Francis I, as well as epistolary art through the ages. The museum also maintains popular art events, such as dresses and flowers made with postage stamps, and objects related to land transport or telecommunications. These collections testify to La Poste's anchoring in French society, between technical innovation, historical memory and citizen engagement.

The Musée de La Poste benefits from the label Musée de France and highlights unique pieces, such as the elements of official stamps, including Marianne stamps, renewed in each presidential election. Post offices, emblematic of the public service, are also represented through lithographs, watercolours and photographs, illustrating their central role in the urban and rural landscape since the 19th century.

External links