État général des répartitions de numéraire, farines ordinaries, farines blanches.

£2,500 · Offered by Maggs Bros Ltd

An extremely rare survival: a detailed account of poor relief in Paris, issued as an internal memorandum by the Revolutionary government’s body for social welfare, the Bureau général de Bienfaisance. A fascinating snapshot of the work of the first dedicated welfare system in France; we have found a reference to just one other copy, at the Archives de Paris (D 403. VD 6976). Printed in Floréal an 6 (April, 1798) for a meeting of the legislative body the Conseil des Cinq-cents in July of the same year (see Journal, below), this document outlines the forms of provision, both monetary and in kind, given to the poor and destitute populations of each of the 48 divisions of Paris from 1796-1797. From left to right, the columns list the capital’s twelve municipalities and the four named divisions within each; the names of the heads of each division’s welfare committee; the total indigent population in each division; the total financial relief provided; and any additional extraordinary financial relief provided. The remaining seven columns detail aid given in kind, ‘à domicile’, that is, home relief: flour for bread for the destitute; white flour for infants; rice; wood for cooking; wood for the elderly; bundles of sticks; and peat. All such items are provided in each area of the city apart from wood for cooking, which only around a quarter of Paris’ 48 divisions received. Though giving an impression of efficient and effective aid relief in operation in Paris, the Bureau général’s met

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.