The educational globe created for the Dauphin of France in 1788 stood 2.4 metres high, featuring removable layers to display complex physical and political geography. Designed by Edme Mentelle and built by Jean-Tobie Mercklein, this relief globe reflects the precise, multi-disciplinary approach Mentelle applied to geography, history, and teaching throughout a career spanning the monarchy and the French Empire.
Early Career and Literary Pursuits
Born in Paris in 1730, Mentelle attended the Collège de Beauvais. His initial professional interests gravitated toward literature and drama rather than cartography. In 1751, he published La mort de Polieucte, followed by various poems and satirical pieces. His play L'amour libérateur saw a performance in Bordeaux in 1758. During this period, he also produced anticlerical satires that engaged with the controversies surrounding the Encyclopédie, reflecting his early intellectual leanings.
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Mentelle transitioned to formal instruction in 1760, securing a teaching position at the École Militaire. He remained there until 1781, teaching history and geography. His methodology integrated these subjects into cohesive textbooks, such as the Manuel géographique, chronologique et historique. His status within elite circles grew significantly; he served as historiographer to the Count of Artois starting in 1778 and provided geographical tutelage to members of the royal household, including the Dauphin.
Cartographic and Scientific Contributions
His output as a writer and cartographer was prolific, encompassing major contributions to the Encyclopédie méthodique and a multi-volume Dictionnaire de géographie moderne. Late in the 1790s, he collaborated with Pierre-Gilles Chanlaire on the Atlas universel de géographie physique et politique, a work containing 170 individual maps. His home in Paris functioned as a hub for scientists and intellectuals, hosting figures such as Laplace, Lavoisier, and Lagrange.
Revolutionary Transitions
Following the French Revolution, Mentelle adapted his career to the changing political landscape. He defended the freedom of the press in 1791 and aligned with republican intellectual circles. He secured a position at the École Normale in 1795 and was elected to the Institut National des Sciences et des Arts, as well as the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres. His textbooks were updated to reflect the new administrative divisions of the French Republic.
Fast facts
- Born: 1730, Paris
- Died: 1816, Paris
- Education: Collège de Beauvais
- Occupations: Writer, historian, playwright, geographer, university teacher, cartographer
- Major work: Atlas universel de géographie physique et politique
- Burial site: Père Lachaise Cemetery
- Notable role: Teacher at École Militaire and École Normale
Questions readers ask
What subjects did Edme Mentelle teach?
He taught geography and history at institutions including the École Militaire and the École Normale.
Did he have any connection to the French monarchy?
Yes, he was the historiographer to the Count of Artois and designed an educational globe for the Dauphin of France.
Achievements
- Recorded as geographer, playwright and writer
