A Family Story, a Botanical Legacy
A family portrait, an identity rediscovered in the illustrated books he left behind… then the lineage, the plates, and the plan to pass them on.
01
The portrait in my grandparents’ living room
When I was a child, a portrait hanging in my grandparents’ living room caught my eye: a man with a serious expression, frozen in a dark setting. He fascinated me as much as he intimidated me.
It was said that he had studied plants, produced remarkable drawings, and that some specimens he had brought back from his travels were preserved at the Jardin des Plantes.
Forty years later, while clearing out the family home after my grandparents passed away, I came across this portrait. As I examined it closely, my gaze fell on the illustrated books in the background: Natural History of Orange Trees, Treatise on Fruit Trees, Course in Horticulture…
02
Pierre-Antoine Poiteau
These works refer to only one man: Pierre-Antoine Poiteau (1766–1854), a gardener who became a botanist, traveler, painter, and horticulturist, and the creator of some of the finest illustrations of his century.
What I discovered led me from one surprise to the next: an extraordinary life story, a self-taught scientist, an exceptional illustrator. A life that deserved to be told.
03
Parentage
All that remained was to verify what the family took for granted. Events, places, occupations: Ambleny, Paris, Versailles, Vierzon, …
Genealogical research confirms a direct maternal lineage six generations back.
Two hundred and seven years separate his birth from mine.
04
Facing the boards
While the website was under construction, I went to the library at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris to consult the books themselves: Histoire naturelle des Orangers and Pomologie française.
Seeing the illustrations in person changes everything. The finesse of the lines, the accuracy of the colors, the meticulous engraving … that’s when the project ceased to be an investigation and became a way of passing on knowledge.
05
The portal
The first branch expands on the investigation: an editorial portal dedicated to Pierre-Antoine Poiteau, his life, his work, his illustrations, and the family history that led up to him.
06
Reproductions
The second branch brings his work back to life: meticulous reproductions of his botanical illustrations, printed on contemporary objects.