Tag Archives: Sebastien Guillié

Cold cases: The snake-oil salesman and the thief

Let it never be said that archival research is dull. My recent forays into the archives at the Institut national des Jeunes Aveugles uncovered a crime nearly 200 years old, and a con man who exploited a legal loophole to … Continue reading

Posted in History of the blind, Paris crime, Paris history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

The music master

I have recently returned from a 10-day research trip to Paris for a book on Charles Barbier. Over the years, I have pegged away at this project, taking a day here, a day there for research during our visits, but … Continue reading

Posted in History of the blind, Paris history, Paris music | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The private life of a public man

When our friend Mireille in Paris asked me to research the descendants of Valentin Haüy, the man who pioneered education for blind children, my first reaction was, “Wait – he had children?” I knew about Haüy’s work with blind students. … Continue reading

Posted in History of the blind, Paris cemeteries, Paris history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments