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| mother = Anne Pajot de Villeperrot
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Baron '''Charles Athanase Walckenaer''' (25 December 1771 – 28 April 1852) was a French [[civil servant]], writer, man of letters, and scientist. He wrote on geography, natural history, and literature. Major contributions included his multi-volume natural histories of arachnids and insects published in collaboration with others. He was made a baron in 1823.
Baron '''Charles Athanase Walckenaer''' (25 December 1771 – 28 April 1852) was a French [[civil servant]], writer, man of letters, and scientist. He was a polymath and wrote extensively on geography, natural history, and literature. Major contributions included his multi-volume natural histories of arachnids and insects, some published in collaboration with others. He was made a baron in 1823.


==Biography==
==Biography==
Walckenaer was born in [[Paris]] and after losing his parents at an early age he was raised by his uncle Charles-Nicolas Duclos Dufresnoy, a notary in the court of French king. His uncle's elite and educated circle made an impression on the young boy and he was sent to study at the universities of [[University of Oxford|Oxford]] and [[University of Glasgow|Glasgow]]. Dufresnoy was guillotined in 1794 following the [[French Revolution]] for being associated with the regime. In 1793 Walckenaer was appointed head of the military transports in the [[Pyrenees]], after which he pursued technical studies at the [[École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées]] and the [[École polytechnique]]. He was elected member of the [[Institut de France]] in 1813, was [[mayor]] (''maire'') in the [[5th arrondissement of Paris|5th arrondissement]] in Paris and secretary-general of the prefect of the [[Seine (département)|Seine]] 1816–1825. He was made a [[baron]] in 1823.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Naudet |first=Joseph |date=1855 |title=Notice historique sur la vie et les ouvrages de M. le baron Walckenaer |url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/minf_0398-3609_1855_num_18_1_1772 |journal=Mémoires de l'Institut de France |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=467–508}}</ref>
Walckenaer was born in [[Paris]] and after losing his parents at an early age he was raised by his uncle Charles-Nicolas Duclos Dufresnoy, a notary in the court of [[Louis XVI]]. His uncle's elite and educated circle made an impression on the young boy and he was sent to study at the universities of [[University of Oxford|Oxford]] and [[University of Glasgow|Glasgow]]. Dufresnoy was guillotined in 1794 following the [[French Revolution]] for being associated with the regime. In 1793 Walckenaer was appointed head of the military transports in the [[Pyrenees]], after which he pursued technical studies at the [[École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées]] and the [[École polytechnique]]. He was elected member of the [[Institut de France]] in 1813, was [[mayor]] (''maire'') in the [[5th arrondissement of Paris|5th arrondissement]] in Paris and secretary-general of the prefect of the [[Seine (département)|Seine]] 1816–1825. He was made a [[baron]] in 1823.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Naudet |first=Joseph |date=1855 |title=Notice historique sur la vie et les ouvrages de M. le baron Walckenaer |url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/minf_0398-3609_1855_num_18_1_1772 |journal=Mémoires de l'Institut de France |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=467–508}}</ref>


Walckenaer married a relative Joséphine Marie Jeanne Antoinette Marcotte de Pyn (1776-1849) in 1794.
Walckenaer married a relative Joséphine Marie Jeanne Antoinette Marcotte de Pyn (1776-1849) in 1794.


He was a keen entomologist and arachnologist and one of the founders of the [[Société entomologique de France]] in 1832, and a "resident member" of the [[Société des observateurs de l'homme]]. He wrote the ''Histoire naturelle des insectes'' (4 vols., 1836–1847) together with [[Paul Gervais]]. He collected specimens and information on spiders from around the world<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Calhoun |first=John V. |date=2019 |title=A persistent case of mistaken identity: Charles A. Walckenaer’s collection of spider drawings by John Abbot is in Paris, not London |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26903810 |journal=The Journal of Arachnology |volume=47 |issue=3 |pages=377–380 |issn=0161-8202}}</ref> and described a number of taxa. He transferred the [[Latrodectus mactans|black widow]] to its current genus and discovered multiple species of ''[[Cyclosa]]'', including ''[[Cyclosa turbinata|C. turbinata]]''.
In 1839 he was appointed conservator for the Department of Maps at the [[Bibliothèque Nationale|Royal Library in Paris]] and in 1840 secretary for life in the [[Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres]]. He was one of the founders of the [[Société entomologique de France]] in 1832, and a "resident member" of the [[Société des observateurs de l'homme]].


Walckenaer introduced the full biography according to the English model into [[French literature]] through his works ''Histoire de la vie et des ouvrages de la Fontaine'' (1820, 4th ed. 1858), ''Histoire de la vie et des poésies d'Horace'' (1840; new ed. 1858) and ''Mémoires touchent la vie et les écrits de Mme de Sevigné'' (6 volumes, 1842–1865). In the works of [[Jean de La Bruyère|La Bruyère]], which he published in 1845, he returned to the original text.
Walckenaer introduced the full biography according to the English model into [[French literature]] through his works ''Histoire de la vie et des ouvrages de la Fontaine'' (1820, 4th ed. 1858), ''Histoire de la vie et des poésies d'Horace'' (1840; new ed. 1858) and ''Mémoires touchent la vie et les écrits de Mme de Sevigné'' (6 volumes, 1842–1865). In the works of [[Jean de La Bruyère|La Bruyère]], which he published in 1845, he returned to the original text.


In the area of geography, he discovered the [[map of Juan de la Cosa]], the oldest extant map that shows the American continent, and published ''La monde maritime'' (4 vols., 1818), ''Histoire générale des voyages'' (21 vols., 1826–1831) and ''Géographie ancienne, historique et comparée des Gaules'' (3 vols., 1839, new ed. 1862). He was also an [[entomologist]] and [[arachnologist]] who published, among other things, the ''Histoire naturelle des insectes'' (4 vols., 1836–1847) together with [[Paul Gervais]]. He was also the scientist who transferred the [[Latrodectus mactans|black widow]] to its current genus and discovered multiple species of ''[[Cyclosa]]'', including ''[[Cyclosa turbinata|C. turbinata]]''.
In 1839 he was appointed conservator for the Department of Maps at the [[Bibliothèque Nationale|Royal Library in Paris]] and in 1840 secretary for life in the [[Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres]]. In the area of geography, he discovered the [[map of Juan de la Cosa]], the oldest extant map that shows the American continent, and published ''La monde maritime'' (4 vols., 1818), ''Histoire générale des voyages'' (21 vols., 1826–1831) and ''Géographie ancienne, historique et comparée des Gaules'' (3 vols., 1839, new ed. 1862).


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 02:20, 20 May 2024

Baron
Charles Walckenaer
Born(1771-12-25)25 December 1771
Paris
Died28 April 1852(1852-04-28) (aged 80)
Paris
EducationUniversity of Oxford, University of Glasgow, École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, École polytechnique
Known forBiographies of La Fontaine and others
Parents
  • Illegitimate son of Charles-Nicolas Duclos du Fresnoy (father)
  • Anne Pajot de Villeperrot (mother)
Scientific career
FieldsArachnology, entomology
InstitutionsRoyal Library of France, Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres
Author abbrev. (zoology)Walckenaer

Baron Charles Athanase Walckenaer (25 December 1771 – 28 April 1852) was a French civil servant, writer, man of letters, and scientist. He was a polymath and wrote extensively on geography, natural history, and literature. Major contributions included his multi-volume natural histories of arachnids and insects, some published in collaboration with others. He was made a baron in 1823.

Biography

Walckenaer was born in Paris and after losing his parents at an early age he was raised by his uncle Charles-Nicolas Duclos Dufresnoy, a notary in the court of Louis XVI. His uncle's elite and educated circle made an impression on the young boy and he was sent to study at the universities of Oxford and Glasgow. Dufresnoy was guillotined in 1794 following the French Revolution for being associated with the regime. In 1793 Walckenaer was appointed head of the military transports in the Pyrenees, after which he pursued technical studies at the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées and the École polytechnique. He was elected member of the Institut de France in 1813, was mayor (maire) in the 5th arrondissement in Paris and secretary-general of the prefect of the Seine 1816–1825. He was made a baron in 1823.[1]

Walckenaer married a relative Joséphine Marie Jeanne Antoinette Marcotte de Pyn (1776-1849) in 1794.

He was a keen entomologist and arachnologist and one of the founders of the Société entomologique de France in 1832, and a "resident member" of the Société des observateurs de l'homme. He wrote the Histoire naturelle des insectes (4 vols., 1836–1847) together with Paul Gervais. He collected specimens and information on spiders from around the world[2] and described a number of taxa. He transferred the black widow to its current genus and discovered multiple species of Cyclosa, including C. turbinata.

Walckenaer introduced the full biography according to the English model into French literature through his works Histoire de la vie et des ouvrages de la Fontaine (1820, 4th ed. 1858), Histoire de la vie et des poésies d'Horace (1840; new ed. 1858) and Mémoires touchent la vie et les écrits de Mme de Sevigné (6 volumes, 1842–1865). In the works of La Bruyère, which he published in 1845, he returned to the original text.

In 1839 he was appointed conservator for the Department of Maps at the Royal Library in Paris and in 1840 secretary for life in the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres. In the area of geography, he discovered the map of Juan de la Cosa, the oldest extant map that shows the American continent, and published La monde maritime (4 vols., 1818), Histoire générale des voyages (21 vols., 1826–1831) and Géographie ancienne, historique et comparée des Gaules (3 vols., 1839, new ed. 1862).

References

  1. ^ Naudet, Joseph (1855). "Notice historique sur la vie et les ouvrages de M. le baron Walckenaer". Mémoires de l'Institut de France. 18 (1): 467–508.
  2. ^ Calhoun, John V. (2019). "A persistent case of mistaken identity: Charles A. Walckenaer's collection of spider drawings by John Abbot is in Paris, not London". The Journal of Arachnology. 47 (3): 377–380. ISSN 0161-8202.

External links

This article contains content from the Owl Edition of Nordisk familjebok, a Swedish encyclopedia published between 1904 and 1926, now in the public domain.

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