Concept
The Musée dauphinois (Dauphinois Museum), located in Grenoble (France), is dedicated to the ethnography, archaeology, history and society of the former province of the Dauphiné. Situated above the neighbourhood of Saint-Laurent in the listed historic monument of Sainte-Marie d’en-Haut, the Musée dauphinois is an accredited “Musée de France“ (Museum of France) and takes part in the Long Night of Museums. Founded in 1906, the Musée dauphinois was the third museum in Grenoble, after the Musée-bibliotèque (Museum Library) and the Musée d’histoire naturelle (Natural History Museum). The museum has occupied two different historical 17th century buildings: the former chapel of Sainte-Marie d’en-Bas from 1906 to 1968, and the present site of the former convent of Sainte-Marie d’en-Haut. Each year its temporary exhibition spaces welcome a wide range of exhibitions, creating an important centre for regional culture in Grenoble. In 2004, a temporary exhibition exploring the treasures of Ancient Egypt helped the museum to surpass the important milestone of 100,000 annual visitors. On 13 October 1905, the regional newspaper, La Dépêche dauphinoise, reported that a commission had met to study the creation of a history museum in Grenoble. On 27 January 1906, a report written by the municipal architect was sent to the mayor of Grenoble, Charles Rivail, about construction work to establish an ethnographic museum in the chapel of Sainte-Marie d’en-Bas. Later that year, on the 14th of December, the advisory commission elected one of its 12 members, the ethnographer Hippolyte Müller, as the first curator of this museum. The name Musée dauphinois, suggested by commission member and archivist Auguste Prudhomme, was chosen by the commission on 25 March 1907. Various decisions regarding the functioning and organisation of the museum, for example, the pricing, were also made. Following the deliberation of the municipal council on 13 April 1908, a presidential decree was signed by Armand Fallières on 6 April 1910, offering a provisional loan of 4,800 francs to the city of Grenoble to pay for the museum's installation costs.
