The Crédit Municipal de Paris – the French main pawnbroker - opened its museum early October 2011. It presented an unprecedented exhibition until January 5th, 2012 on the history of this institution, also called Mont-de-Piété.
This historical overview shed light on a retrospective of the Mont-de-Piété, from its opening in 1637, until World War One, with a special focus on the 19th century. At the time, the Crédit Municipal saw a lot of eclectic objects brought against a loan, by clients in need of money.
Satirical cartoons by Daumier, ancient photographs, sculptures and press cuttings explained how the Mont-de-Piété was part of the Parisians’ daily life. Numerous celebrities had to resort to the Crédit Municipal de Paris’s services.
The exhibition also underlined the literary mentions of the Mont-de-Piété in the works of the most renowned authors of the time such as Hugo, Zola, Balzac or Gautier.
For more information, please refer to the website of the Crédit Municipal de Paris
Published on 11 October 2011. Updated on 12 September 2019