Isidore Justin Séverin, Baron Taylor (5 August 1789 – 6 September 1879) was a French dramatist, artist, and philanthropist. He was closely associated with the development of French theatre, a pioneer of

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

, and also a noted traveller.

Life and career

Isidore Taylor was born in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

on 5 August 1789; his father Hélie Taylor was English born and took French nationality, and his mother was the Belgian Marie-Jacqueline Walwein (from what was then the

Austrian Netherlands The Austrian Netherlands was the territory of the Burgundian Circle of the Holy Roman Empire between 1714 and 1797. The period began with the acquisition by the Austrian Habsburg monarchy of the former Spanish Netherlands under the Treaty of Ras ...

). Originally destined for a military career, the young man neglected this in favour of travelling about Europe and later the Near East. Among the fruits of his travels was a series of books on the French regions, ''Voyages pittoresques et romantiques dans l'ancienne France'' (1820–63), the nearly 7000 lithographs in which were the first to catalogue the French artistic patrimony. Another book, ''La Syrie, l'Égypte, la Palestine et la Judée'' (Paris, 1839), was illustrated with the author's

watercolours Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin 'water'), is a painting method"Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to the S ...

, two of which are now in the collection of the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

. Ennobled in 1825 by King

Charles X Charles X may refer to: * Charles X of France (1757–1836) * Charles X Gustav (1622–1660), King of Sweden * Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon (1523–1590), recognized as Charles X of France but renounced the royal title See also * * King Charle ...

, he was by this time collecting Spanish art on behalf of the new French King

Louis Philippe I Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his throne ...

, who made him a Commissioner of Art in 1838. These paintings constituted the then named Spanish gallery of the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

George Borrow George Henry Borrow (5 July 1803 – 26 July 1881) was an English writer of novels and of travel based on personal experiences in Europe. His travels gave him a close affinity with the Romani people of Europe, who figure strongly in his work. Hi ...

describes meeting Taylor before and during the 1830s in his book ''

The Bible in Spain ''The Bible in Spain'', published in London in 1843, is a travel book by the British writer George Borrow (1803–1881). It was a popular work when it appeared, running through several editions. Borrow tells of his travels through Spain while wor ...

''. :"He has visited most portions of the earth, and it is remarkable enough that we are continually encountering each other in strange places and under singular circumstances. Whenever he descries me, whether in the street or the desert, the brilliant hall or amongst Bedouin ''haimas'', at Novgorod or Stambul, he flings up his arms and exclaims, O ciel''! I have again the felicity of seeing my cherished and most respectable B…'". Early on the Baron was also active in the theatrical world. Between 1825 and 1838 he served as Royal Commissioner of the Theatre Francaise. He used this position to encourage the production of

Romantic drama Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...

. Among those he helped was

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...

, who dedicated to Taylor his first successful play, '' Henri III et sa cour'' (The court of Henry III, 1829). Taylor himself authored plays with a

Levant The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...

ine background, ''Ismael et Maryam, ou l'arabe et la chrétienne'' (The Arab and the Christian, 1821) and ''La fille de l'Hébreu et le chevalier du temple'' (The Jewess and the Templar, 1823) and co-authored with

Charles Nodier Jean Charles Emmanuel Nodier (; 29 April 1780 – 27 January 1844) was a French author and librarian who introduced a younger generation of Romanticists to the ''conte fantastique'', gothic literature, and vampire tales. His dream related writi ...

an adaptation of

Charles Maturin Charles Robert Maturin, also known as C. R. Maturin (25 September 1780 – 30 October 1824), was an Irish Protestant clergyman (ordained in the Church of Ireland) and a writer of Gothic fiction, Gothic plays and novels.Chris Morgan, "Maturin, C ...

's successful drama, ''Bertram ou le pirate'' (1821). After age 50 in the 1840s he focussed on philanthropic activity, setting up several mutual societies for members of the artistic professions. They continue to this day as the Taylor Foundation. In recognition of his work he was elected to the

Académie Française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

in 1847, named a senator of the Second Empire in 1869 and made an officer of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

in 1877.

Artistic representations

After his death, Taylor was buried in the

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (, , formerly , ) is the largest cemetery in Paris, France, at . With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Buried at Père Lachaise are many famous figures in the ...

with a memorial statue by sculptor Gabriel-Jules Thomas. A decorative bust by Tony Noel (1845-1909) was also erected on behalf of the Taylor Foundation on the Boulevard Saint Martin. Both of these show the baron in old age. There were attractive earlier portraits of him by

Jean Alaux Jean Alaux, called "''le Romain''" ("the Roman"), (1786 – 2 March 1864) was a French history painter and Director of the French Academy in Rome from 1846 to 1852.

when he was 22, and by

Federico de Madrazo Federico de Madrazo y Kuntz (9 February 181510 June 1894) was a Spanish painter. Biography Born in Rome, he was the son of José de Madrazo y Agudo, the painter and former Director of the Prado Museum, and Isabel Kuntz Valentini. Federico's gra ...

y Kuntz at the age of 44. The latter is a three-quarters bust that pictures him in his official uniform in 1838. He also figures in the crowded canvas of

Édouard Manet Édouard Manet (, ; ; 23 January 1832 – 30 April 1883) was a French Modernism, modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism (art movement), R ...

's '' Music in the Tuileries'' (1862). Taylor is pictured in the mid-foreground to the left with his cane beneath his arm as he talks to

Charles Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet, essayist, translator and art critic. His poems are described as exhibiting mastery of rhythm and rhyme, containing an exoticism inherited from the Romantics ...

and

Theophile Gautier Theophilus is a male given name with a range of alternative spellings. Its origin is the Greek word Θεόφιλος from θεός (''theós'', "God") and φιλία (''philía'', "love or affection") can be translated as "Love of God" or "Friend ...

.Therese Dolan, Manet, Wagner, and the Musical Culture of Their Time, Ashgate Publishing 2013
pp.93-6
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References

Much of the information is based on the article in the French Wikipedia. {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Isidore French artists French people of English descent 1789 births 1879 deaths Administrators of the Comédie-Française Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery