Louis Antoine François Baillon

Who was Louis Antoine François Baillon?

Louis Antoine François Baillon was a French naturalist and collector. He was born in Montreuil-sur-Mer and died in Abbeville.

His father, Jean-François-Emmanuel Baillon, a lawyer and correspondent of the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, introduced him to natural history. In 1798, Baillon began work at as an assistant at the Jardin des Plantes, a position he relinquished following the death of his father. Afterwards, he settled in Abbeville, and like his father, became known for his correspondence with famed naturalists that included Franco Andrea Bonelli, Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire and Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied.

During his career, he continued and developed an ornithological collection that was initiated by his father, a collection that eventually grew to 6000 items. Baillon's collection is now conserved in "Musée George-Sand et de la Vallée noire" in La Châtre. In addition to birds from France, it contains exotic specimens from French voyages of exploration, notably birds from the expeditions of Jacques Labillardière and Jules Dumont d'Urville.