Personalities in the 19th Century and Beyond:

Starting in the 19th century, Ile Saint-Louis became known as a home to more than just the wealthy. It became a magnet for intellectuals, artists, and writers who gathered there to find inspiration and to commune with one another.

Writers:

The most famous of the island's writers was Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) who lived in the prestigious Hôtel Lauzun at 17, Quai d'Anjou. Baudelaire is notable especially for his work, Fleurs du Mal (1857), the first pages of which were written in on Ile Saint-Louis. This work aptly shows his taste for the sinister which he considered himself to share with kindred spirit Edgar Allen Poe.

In addition, Jean de la Ville de Mirmont (1886-1914), revered poet of the 19th century, resided at 8, Quai d'Orléans, and Albert T'Serstevens (1885-1974), a Belgian writer who wrote Intimité de l'île Saint-Louis, lived in the Hôtel de Jassaud starting in the year 1913.

Thinkers:

The intellectual population on Ile Saint-Louis soared starting in the 19th century whose residents achieved some of Europe's most celebrated advancements in politics and science. The famed Marie Curie (1867-1834), born Marya Sklodowska of Polish descent, lived at 36, Quai de Bethune.

She, along with her husband, Pierre Curie, worked to discover the secrets of "radiation," a term she coined herself. She discovered radioactive elements proving that radiation was not the result of a chemical reaction but an atomic quality. For this she was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903.

At the death of her husband she took up his position at the Sorbonne, becoming the first woman appointed professor there. In addition, she continued her research on radium and won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1911 for determining its atomic weight.

Finally, during World War I, she shifted focus and worked on the development of X-rays for medical usage. This compounded with her development of radiation for cancer treatment made her one of the most innovative scientists of the age.

Ecologist Théodore Monod (1902-2000) also lived on Ile Saint-Louis at 14, Quai d'Orléans. He dedicated his life mostly to the study of desert climates, working exclusively in the Sahara for a large portion of his life. He was known as antinuclear, antimilitarist, and as a defender of the rights of man and of animals. He advocated respect for all forms of life on this planet.

Perhaps one of the most instrumental men in the advancement of human rights worldwide is René Cassin (1887-1976), living at 36, Quai de Bethune, who was one of the principal authors of the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man adopted by the United Nation in 1948. He was essential in the development of the European Union with the goal in mind of erasing all barriers between men and recognizing the same inseparable right for all to exist with dignity. He was also key in inspiring the creation of UNESCO, and was attributed the Nobel Peace Prize in 1968 for his actions in favor of the respect of the rights of man on a world scale.

More recently, the former president of France, Georges Pompidou (1911-1974), lived at 24, Rue de Bretonvilliers. He was a close ally of General Charles de Gaulle during the Fourth Republic and was director of his cabinet. In 1962 he was elected Prime Minister, and in 1969, President of the Republic. The main goal of his presidency was to change France into an industrial power of the first rank.

Artists:

Artistic creation became a tradition on Ile Saint-Louis in the 19th century - a tradition that continues even to this day, with the numerous art galleries to be found all over the island.

Draftsman, painter, and caricaturist Honoré Daumier (1808-1879) resided on the island from 1846 to 1863 at 9, Quai d'Anjou. He was well known for his position as an Anti-royalist and used his political cartoons to create dissent.

Charles Daubigny (1817-1878) was one of the most famous landscape painters of the time. He held his studio at 13, Quai de Bourbon, but was best known for his extensive work in the open air. He is notable for his paintings of the banks of the Seine and the Oise and is considered a precursor to the impressionist movement officially started by Monet.

The three-time medal winner of the Salon des Artistes Français, Emmanuel Lansyer (1835-1893), also had a studio at 29, Quai de Bourbon. He was a pupil of Courbet, the realist painter, and was decorated by the Legion of Honor, becoming a member of its jury starting in 1881.

Émile Bernard (1868-1941) spent the last part of his life in the Hôtel Charron at 15, Quai de Bourbon. He was a pre-modernist painter and friend of Vincent Van Gogh and is known for his development of the pointillist style and his tense work relationship with Gaughin.

A more notable resident of Ile Saint-Louis is perhaps Marc Chagall (1887-1985) who left Russia in 1910 to study and work briefly in Paris. In 1923 he returned to France to open his own school and to find inspiration there. Being of Jewish heritage, he fled to New York during WWII, but returned to France definitively in 1947 where he spent the rest of his life in the South.

Camille Claudel (1864-1943), illustrious sculptor and mistress of Auguste Rodin, lived and worked at 19, Quai de Bourbon starting in 1899. She was the sister of famous poet Paul Claudel and the student, model, and inspiration of Rodin. Unfortunately their relation turned sour in 1893, and soon after she shut herself up in her studio on Ile Saint-Louis. She finished her life in a mental institution near Avignon, but is still known for her expressive bronzes that show a certain purposeful imbalance.

The Rothschilds, an Illustrius Family:

This celebrated family with ties to big business, industry, banking, and viniculture and a legacy of over two centuries also has roots on Ile Saint-Louis. It was in the 1970s that the Baron Guy de Rothschild bought the Hôtel Lambert located on the Quai d'Anjou for his wife, Marie-Helène, and set about its complete restoration. To this day he maintains the property, but has distanced himself from the place ever since his spouse's death.