Musée Cognacq-Jay

Before our visitors come to Paris, I have been continuing to check out some of the smaller museums I have never seen in Paris.  One of these is the Musée Cognacq-Jay-a taste of the 18th century-situated in a 16th century mansion in the Marais.  And as a bonus, admission is free.

Entrance to Cognacq-Jay Museum

Love how these old stone steps
are worn and dip in the middle

The museum consists of the collection of Ernest Cognacq and his wife, Marie-Louise Jay.  Cognacq founded La Samaritaine in 1872.  He had been a salesman in a tent under the Pont Neuf when the owner of a café he frequented offered to rent him the room next door to the café for a shop.  Two years later he married Marie-Louise Jay, who had been the first saleswoman at the Bon Marché department store.  Together, their shop grew in size until La Samaritaine department store was born in 1900. 

Ernest Congacq

Marie-Louise Jay

Originally, he displayed his collection in a wing of the department store.  The couple had no children and when he died in 1928 he gave his collection to the city of Paris and it was eventually moved to this old mansion in the Marais.
There were small porcelain miniatures, furniture, sculptures and more.  Most of the museum looked like this room with paintings by the artists Canaletto, Tiepolo and Boucher:

One room had a beautiful bed and paintings and sculptures of children.  I enjoyed this sweet little museum.