French Ambassador Visits Olin Library
Laurent Bili, Ambassador of France to the United States, visited Washington University on February 26, along with a delegation from the Consulat de France in Chicago. The program included a guided visit to John M. Olin Library, featuring WashU Libraries’ original copy of the Declaration of Independence and a curated selection of texts and documents in the Special Collections classroom. The selection showcased the theme “1776–1789,” and highlighted materials from the Rare Books Collection focused on the French Enlightenment era and the connections between the American and French revolutions. The visit and programming were organized by Lionel Cuillé, teaching professor in French at WashU and the director of the Franco-American cultural center, French Connexions.
The showcase was attended by twenty students from Professor Cuille’s class on human rights, who had an opportunity to ask questions and interact with the ambassador. It featured items from the French Revolution, including pamphlets, Enlightenment texts, and volumes from Diderot’s Encyclopédie, 1751-1765. Many of the texts were in French, but there were also some English translations of famous French works, including the first English edition from 1750 of Montesquieu’s On the Spirit of the Laws from the WashU Law Library.
Among other exhibited books and materials were the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, 1790; Condorcet’s Esquisse d’un tableau historique des progrès de l’esprit humain, 1798; Rousseau’s A Dissertation on Political Economy, 1797; and several eighteenth-century pamphlets authored by French revolutionaries. The exhibit was curated by Cassie Brand, curator of rare books; Lino Mioni, Romance languages librarian; and Ben Wexler, a graduate student in history.
“What stood out most was the remarkable quality of the exchange between our students, Ambassador Bili, and the historical materials themselves. The Special Collections pop-up exhibit and the Declaration of Independence exhibition created a vivid setting in which students could engage directly with the transatlantic intellectual and political traditions that connect 1776 and 1789. It was a powerful moment of dialogue, reflection, and Franco-American academic friendship,” said Cuillé.
At Olin Library, Ambassador Bili was accompanied by Charlotte Montel, General Consul of France, Feng Sheng Hu, Richard G. Engelsmann Dean of Arts & Sciences, Stefanie Lindquist, Dean, WashU Law, Professor Cuillé, and staff from WashU Libraries, including Mimi Calter, Vice Provost and University Librarian, Cassie Brand, and Lino Mioni. For a complete program and more information, please visit The 1776–1789 Connection.
Photos from the French Ambassador’s Visit to Olin Library
