Maison de Victor Hugo

Maison de Victor Hugo Review

France's most famous scribe lived in this house on the northeast corner of Place des Vosges between 1832 and 1848. It's now a museum dedicated to the multitalented author of Les Misérables. In Hugo's apartment on the second floor, you can see the tall desk, next to the short bed, where he began writing his masterwork Les Miz (as always, standing up). There are manuscripts and early editions of the novel on display, as well as others such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame. You can see illustrations of Hugo's writings by other artists, including Bayard's rendition of the impish Cosette holding her giant broom (which has graced countless Les Miz T-shirts). The collection includes many of Hugo's own, sometimes macabre, ink drawings (he was a fine artist) and furniture from several of his homes. Particularly impressive is the room of carved and painted Chinese-style wooden panels that Hugo designed for the house of his mistress, Juliet Drouet, on the island of Guernsey, when he was exiled there for agitating against Napoléon III. Try to spot the intertwined Vs and Js. (Hint: Look for the angel's trumpet in the left corner.) The first floor is dedicated to temporary exhibitions that often have modern ties to Hugo's work.