Annales de la vertu, ou, Cours d'histoire a l'usage des jeunes personnes

Art Historical Context

This elegant three-volume set, *Annales de la vertu, ou Cours d’histoire à l’usage des jeunes personnes*, was published in 1781 by the prolific French writer and educator Stéphanie Félicité, Comtesse de Genlis. Designed specifically for young readers, the work blends history with moral instruction, presenting exemplary lives and events as lessons in virtue—an approach that reflected the Enlightenment emphasis on education as a path to personal and civic improvement. Its compact size, just under seven inches tall, made the volumes easy for young hands to hold and carry, underscoring Genlis’s practical concern for accessible learning. Though created in the final decades of the ancien régime, the books speak to a broader cultural shift toward thoughtful upbringing of the next generation. Genlis, a celebrated courtier and governess, drew on her experience shaping the minds of royal children to craft texts that combined narrative charm with ethical guidance. The involvement of publishers Baudouin and Lambert ensured wide circulation among French families seeking refined yet wholesome reading. Today, this set resides in the Metropolitan Museum’s Libraries, a gift from the estate of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman. It offers visitors a tangible glimpse into eighteenth-century ideas about childhood, morality, and the power of storytelling to shape character.

About the Artist

Mme. la comtesse de Genlis|Baudouin|M. Lambert ( |French| ) · |1750 | – |1850 |

|Paris|