La Morte de Victor Hugo: Symbol Short

On May 15th, 1885, Victor Hugo fell victim to pulmonary congestion. France lived through the poet's final hours, hanging on news reports and chronicles, and thousands had been gathering day and night around his home.

*La chambre de Victor Hugo avenue d'Eylau, Désiré François Laugée, 1885, Oil on canvas, 46.4 x 55.7 cm, Collection: Maison de Victor Hugo*

He died on May 22th 1885 at 50 avenue Victor Hugo.

Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885) was one of the most significant and prolific figures in world, let alone French, history. He was a Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His poetry and career in law grew simultaneously from a young age, and his canonical novels The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Misérables reflected both. His poetry collections Les Contemplations and La Légende des siècles (The Legend of the Ages) fortified his place at the forefront of the Romantic movement, and in between his writings he created an estimated 4,000 drawings. Politically, his activism against capital punishment and slavery among many other movements made him a national hero during his lifetime.

Between his debut at 15 years old to his death at 83, he grew to be so loved by the people that when his funeral procession was held in the streets of Paris, it’s estimated that between 2 to 3 million people gathered in tow — the the largest funeral march in French history.

For reference, around 1 million people gathered for Queen Elizabeth II’s procession in 2022.

Victor Hugo's funeral, View of the catafalque under the Arc de Triomphe and the Place de l'Étoile, June 1, 1885

Transfer of Victor Hugo 's coffin to the Pantheon, Paris ( Seine , France), 1 June 1885

Display of flower wreaths on the steps of the Pantheon, June 2, 1885

Funeral of Victor Hugo: Arrival of the coffin in front of the catafalque located under the Arc de Triomphe, 31 May 1885

Parade of the Republican Guard at the head of the procession, Boulevard Saint-Germain, 1 June 1885

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The Death and Burial of Victor Hugo

The end of Victor Hugo’s life inspired a small explosion of paintings and drawings, gathered here as a case study of how this single event has been translated in rich variety of ways.

Artists flocked to the writer’s deathbed, others documented his funeral procession, and several more took these sketches to their studio to create large romantic paintings iconic to the 19th century.

*Victor Hugo on his deathbed, Léon Bonnat, 1885, Oil on canvas, 46 x 55 cm, Collection: Maison de Victor Hugo*

This tender sketch of the writer on his deathbed was made by Léon Bonnat, who had painted his iconic portrait 6 years earlier:

*Portrait of Victor Hugo, Léon Bonnat, 1879, Oil on canvas, 138 x 110 cm, Collection: Palace of Versailles*

Pierre-Paul-Léon Glaize shows Hugo surrounded by the rich textiles and possessions of his private room, with the foot of his bed wreathed in flowers.

*Victor Hugo on his Deathbed, Pierre-Paul-Léon Glaize, 1885, Oil on canvas, 46.9 x 39.2 cm, Collection: Maison de Victor Hugo*

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On the night of May 22, 1885, Victor Hugo’s body lay in state under the Arc de Triomphe prior to his national funeral. The monument was draped in black crepe, and massive crowds of Parisians gathered in the dark to pay their respects, a scene Roll masterfully recreates in this piece

*La veillée sous l'Arc de triomphe, Alfred Philippe Roll, circa 1903, Oil on canvas, 138.5 x 160.5 cm, Collection: Maison de Victor Hugo*

There are few figures alive today that caused the ruptures and waves that Victor Hugo did. And French nationalism, compared to many cultures, clutches particularly strongly to its heroes. The collective release felt when he passed must have been visceral.

Georges Clairin beautiful painting captures the spiritual presence of his funeral

Painted in black in the centre of the canvas, the elaborate catafalque designed by the renowned French architect Charles Garnier holds the coffin under the Arc de Triomphe. The Arch itself fades in the background on the right, and the vigil hold flames on either side of the casket with wreathes at their feet. At the centre, a winged angel lifts a glowing torch and a wreath herself, creating a unity in mourning and celebration of life between the earthly and spiritual world.