Paris Morgue

Below is an illustration c. 1845 of the famous (certainly notorious) Paris morgue. Once located near Notre Dame on the Isle de la Cite, the morgue opened in 1860 as a place where friends and families could come and identify the bodies of their loved ones. After it expanded in 1864 into a larger building it quickly became quite the tourist attraction by the end of the 19th century.

Want to learn more about the morgue or to read a contemporary account (published in the Harvard Crimson in 1885?

La Morgue de Paris circa 1845

Odd as it may sound, the Paris Morgue, located on the Quai de Marche Neuf, was considered quite a tourist attraction in the 19th century and was often featured in the numerous guides to the city.