Behind the Scenes at Stuart Ng Books: France 2015 --- Musee Curie, Grand Gallery of Evolution, Rodin Museum, and pop culture Paris on rue Dante

Images from Paris 2015 -- with tour of 3 museums and the "comics and pop culture" street, Rue Dante...

Musee Curie -- recently renovated!!! http://musee.curie.fr/
This museum is a true treasure among the jewels of Paris --- preserving the lesser-known story of the devoted family behind the scenes of their celebrated accomplishments...

Exterior of the building that houses the Musee Curie...

Here are views around the main exhibit rooms inside the museum..

The newly renovated exhibit rooms and displays were made possible by funds from the estate of Eve Curie (1904-2007) http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/25/arts/25labouisse.html?_r=0 There are video displays now .. and even an audio recording of Marie Curie. These renovations strike the perfect balance between bringing in new technology to enrich the museum experience, and honoring the authenticity of these rooms where Marie Curie worked in the last decades of her life...

Below is detail from the welcome panel (above) in the main exhibit space..

So much to see and learn in the rooms here. This 3-room museum is a manageable space you can explore well in a few hours, and come away so much richer for the time you invest here. Great lessons in Science, History, Compassion and Responsibility. So much to admire with the Curie family. The welcoming staff here at the museum obviously cares deeply about their mission of bringing this relevant story to modern audiences...

This panel and the case below tell the story of how American women gift Marie Curie with a gram of precious Radium...

One wall of the exhibit space highlights French doctor and biologist. Claudius Reguad. He was a pioneer of radiotherapy and the fight against cancer at the Curie Institute. Biographical info on him here: (from US National Library of Medicine) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22818408

He was a keen observer .. and an accomplished artist. He did these scientific illustrations...

More documents from the Marie Curie - US connection, via journalist and fundraiser Missy Meloney.

In photo below, the doorway on the right is the entrance to Marie Curie's private office...

Here's the entrance with the velvet rope.

The entire room is restored and preserved, just as Marie Curie used it...

View of Marie Curie's personal laboratory, right next door to her private office....

Below are photos of cases with real and replica equipment used by Irene Joliot-Curie In many cases, the replicas are used because the actual artifacts are still radioactive!

here's a list of employees at the laboratory .. including Marie Curie and other women scientists...

Below is info on devices used for early treatments against cancer..

A display case in the center of the main exhibit room explains and showcases this replica Piezoelectric Quartz Electrometer. This device was invented by Pierre Curie and his brother Jacques. Marie Curie became a master at using this delicate apparatus. She and and Pierre Curie gathered evidence with this machine to help confirmed their discovery of Radium and Polonium.... Read more about the device here http://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/201403/physicshistory.cfm

Photo below shows Marie Curie (R) with Pierre Curie (center) and their lab assistant demonstrating the use of the equipment...

The stopwatch and slide below where used to measure the frequency of the very mild electric impulses emitted from the samples...

Close-up below shows the chamber that held the sample that was being measured.

Another wall explains some of the early x-ray and radiation therapies to treat cancer patients...

These early treatments for cancer seem crude by today's standards, but they were groundbreaking and launched new hope for previously untreatable conditions...

Poster for a current production "Marie Curie: Magician of Radium"

The museum bookstore features a number of books about the Curie family and the work of the Curie Institute. Here are just a few examples...

The "Portraits of a Cell" book (below, right) chronicles an art exhibit in the museum's garden space. Future plans include other exhibits like this ... allowing artists to express the beauty and impact of science...What a great way to explore the inter-connection between science and the arts...

There are a number of books for young readers .. and the young at heart. Here's the cover of a French Comic about Marie Curie. Hardcover French comics are art books read by all ages. This title is geared for teen audience...

Another Jewel in the cultural crown of Paris .... The Grand Gallery of Evolution at the Natural History Museum...http://www.grandegaleriedelevolution.fr/fr

The subdued lighting in the hall of extinct and endangered animals....

This model of Dodo bird is a reconstruction from modern elements.

However, other extinct animals on display here are authentic specimens... like this Quagga

Schomburgk Deer (extinct)

Sumatra Tiger (critically endangered)

The Thylacine .. or Tasmanian Tiger (extinct in the 1930s)

Click on link below to see You Tube footage filmed at zoos in the 1930s of these now extinct animals.

Extinct lion sub-species, the Cape Lion..

View of the many floors of the building interior...

The two photos below are from a large display that diagrams the many steps and arts involved in the process of taxidermy...

Map of the many natural history museums in this park-like setting...

Large and small museums are scattered around Paris ... and easy to reach on foot or by Metro.. Walking in Paris affords views like this .. and of course, stops at cafes :)