Cabinet d'Histoire (Hôtel de Magny)

Cabinet d'Histoire (Hôtel de Magny) stands in Paris, on the ground floor of the Hôtel de Magny within the Jardin des Plantes.

Pierre Bullet built this mansion for Elisabeth Thomé between 1696 and 1700. In 1787, Buffon incorporated the property into the royal garden’s grounds. From 1793, the building housed directors of the Muséum national d’histoire naturelle. Five rooms once traced the architectural and topographical history of the Jardin des Plantes. One room displayed a painting of the institution’s first giraffe alongside an early nineteenth-century garden model.

The final two rooms presented temporary exhibitions drawn from collections of rare books, minerals, and fossils. The Cabinet d’Histoire closed to the public in January 2017, while the Hôtel de Magny continues its administrative role.

City: Paris
Content updated: 2026-06-22

Image: Celette CC BY-SA 3.0
Image: Jean-Jacques BachelierPublic domain
Image: Gabriel ThouinPublic domain
Image: Armand-Lucien Clément (1848-1920), uploaded by MaisrimerPublic domain
Image: Vincent Zimmermann CC BY-SA 3.0

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