Abstract
In the middle of the XIXthcentury, a new and innovative science appeared : prehistoric archaeology. From 1860 onwards, the beginnings of mankind were presented in museums and at world's fairs. Popular works, illustrated with beautiful engravings, as well as artists and writers, took up this period, whose often incomplete study left much to the imagination. For over years, prehistory has been an undeniable success, as illustrated by novels, comic strips, films, cartoons, toys, video games and advertising. But the stories and images conveyed are still often far removed from scientific knowledge, this contradiction being the fruit of a long and fascinating history of ideas.
Caption and illustration credits: Ernest d'Hervilly, Drawings by Félix Régamey, Aventures d'un petit garçon préhistorique en France, Paris, Librairie mondaine, 1887, Bibliothèque du Musée d'Archéologie Nationale, cliché MAN, Baptiste Simon
Biography
Catherine Schwab is head curator of the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic collections at the Musée d'Archéologie Nationale, domaine national du château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. In particular, she restored the Salle Piette, which houses the collection of the same name. A specialist in Paleolithic bone industry and furniture art, she also works on the history of her discipline. She teaches prehistoric archaeology and art at the École du Louvre and the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.
