Guide to the Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759–1840) papers, 1786–ca.1844

Biographical Note

Pierre-Joseph Redouté began his career as a self-taught artist at the age of 13. About ten years later he made his way to Paris and turned his focus to botanical illustration. He eventually became an official court artist to the royalty of France as well as an accomplished botanist. Throughout the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror, Redouté continued to paint for royalty. To this day, Redouté is renowned for his beautifully delicate and botanically accurate flower paintings. He participated in nearly 50 publications, producing over 2,100 plates depicting over 1,800 species.

Scope and Contents Note

This collection includes several pieces of correspondence sent to Redouté, including a certificate with the French Imperial seal, appointing Redouté official court Painter of Flowers to the Empress. There is also a series of undated letters from Jules Janin (1804–1874), a popular French theatre critic and close friend of Redouté, to Redouté's eldest daughter, Joséphine Redouté (1786–?). Besides these autograph items, there are newspaper clippings related to Redouté and various magazine and newspaper articles published shortly after his death. The two oversized folders contain passports and a contemporary engraved portrait. Many items personally written by Redouté are kept in the Hunt Institute Archives' General Autograph Collection.

Administrative Information

This finding aid was created by Nancy Janda and placed online by J. Dustin Williams in 2020.

Processing Information

This collection was digitized by G. Boardman in 2018.

Related Materials

Additional information about items in the collection may be found in the Hunt Institute’s out-of-print publication, A Catalogue of Redoutéana. Many items personally written by Redouté and noted in the catalogue are kept in the Hunt Institute Archives’ General Autograph Collection. While the full collection is not yet available online, we are pleased to provide a PDF of the Redouté-related autograph letters.

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