Léon-Eugène Méhédin
Encyclopedia
Léon-Eugène Méhédin was a French archaeologist, architect
and photographer.
Méhédin's career, a fervent Bonapartist, was greatly facilitated when he erected two triumphal arches in L'Aigle in 1851 to celebrate Napoléon III's French coup of that year
. In 1855, he designed Civitavecchia
's train station and went on a mission of photo reconnaissance to the Crimean War
with Jean-Charles Langlois
.
In 1859, he drew a portrait of Napoleon III. He compiled an archaeological album on Egypt
. In 1865, he photographed the ruins of Xochicalco
for the Scientific Commission of Mexico in Paris. He also made a papier-mâché
cast of a planned Luxor Obelisk
for the Exposition Universelle of 1867
which never came to be when Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico
fell in 1867. Some of his collections lay in the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle de Rouen
and others are at the City Library of the same city.
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and photographer.
Méhédin's career, a fervent Bonapartist, was greatly facilitated when he erected two triumphal arches in L'Aigle in 1851 to celebrate Napoléon III's French coup of that year
French coup of 1851
The French coup d'état on 2 December 1851, staged by Prince Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte , ended in the successful dissolution of the French National Assembly, as well as the subsequent re-establishment of the French Empire the next year...
. In 1855, he designed Civitavecchia
Civitavecchia
Civitavecchia is a town and comune of the province of Rome in the central Italian region of Lazio. A sea port on the Tyrrhenian Sea, it is located 80 kilometers west-north-west of Rome, across the Mignone river. The harbor is formed by two piers and a breakwater, on which is a lighthouse...
's train station and went on a mission of photo reconnaissance to the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
with Jean-Charles Langlois
Jean-Charles Langlois
Jean-Charles Langlois, known as The Colonel was a French soldier and painter.-Biography:Langlois was born in Beaumont-en-Auge...
.
In 1859, he drew a portrait of Napoleon III. He compiled an archaeological album on Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. In 1865, he photographed the ruins of Xochicalco
Xochicalco
Xochicalco is a pre-Columbian archaeological site in the Municipality of Miacatlán in the western part of the Mexican state of Morelos. The name Xochicalco may be translated from Nahuatl as "in the house of Flowers". The site is located 38 km southwest of Cuernavaca, about 76 miles by road...
for the Scientific Commission of Mexico in Paris. He also made a papier-mâché
Papier-mâché
Papier-mâché , alternatively, paper-mache, is a composite material consisting of paper pieces or pulp, sometimes reinforced with textiles, bound with an adhesive, such as glue, starch, or wallpaper paste....
cast of a planned Luxor Obelisk
Luxor Obelisk
The Luxor Obelisk is a 23 metres high Egyptian obelisk standing at the center of the Place de la Concorde in Paris, France...
for the Exposition Universelle of 1867
Exposition Universelle (1867)
The Exposition Universelle of 1867 was a World Exposition held in Paris, France, in 1867.-Conception:In 1864, Emperor Napoleon III decreed that an international exposition should be held in Paris in 1867. A commission was appointed with Prince Jerome Napoleon as president, under whose direction...
which never came to be when Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I was the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire.After a distinguished career in the Austrian Navy, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on April 10, 1864, with the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchists who sought to revive the Mexican monarchy...
fell in 1867. Some of his collections lay in the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle de Rouen
Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle de Rouen
The Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle de Rouen is a museum in Rouen, northern France, founded in 1828 by Félix Archimède Pouchet...
and others are at the City Library of the same city.
Honors
- Officer of the Imperial Order of Medjidie (1862)
- Officer of the Order of Guadalajara (1866)
- Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (1867)
- Knight of Saints Maurice and LazarusOrder of Saints Maurice and LazarusThe Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus is an order of chivalry awarded by the House of Savoy, the heads of which were formerly Kings of Italy...
(1867)
Works
- Campagne d’Italie en 1859: vues de Magenta, Milan, Melegnano, Dezensano, Valeggio, Villafranca et du pont de Buffalora, [S.l.s.n.], 1859.
- Description de l’Égypte, commencée sous les auspices de Napoléon Ier, continuée par ordre de Napoléon III, Paris, Firmin-Didot, 1859.
- Divinité mythique de la mort, à laquelle on offrait les victimes humaines par plusieurs milliers à la fois dans les rites religieux de l’antiquité mexicaine, Paris, Lainé et Havard, 1867.
- Projet de fêtes publiques à Paris, Paris, Bailly, Divry & Cie, 1852.
- Souvenirs de la guerre de Crimée: 29 photographies de Charles Langlois et Léon Méhédin, entre 1855-1856, [S.l.s.n.], 1856.