Paris, France
Institute for the Deaf, Paris. (5th arrondissement)
An easy walk along Rue Ste. Jacques, south of the Sorbonne in the Latin Quarter.
Itard worked at the Institute for the Deaf for many years, making major contributions to the education of the mentally retarded and the deaf. His influence in these areas is still acknowledged. In the film L’enfant Sauvage, (The Wild Child), François Truffaut portrays Itard and his work with Victor. The Institute is very much a working center, complete with closed gates to the courtyard and a guard station. By asking politely, I was allowed to enter the courtyard and photograph the exterior of the building. Harlan Lane’s The Wild Boy of Aveyron provides much information on Itard.
Entrance courtyard, Institute for the Deaf, Paris
A 1972 English translation of Itard’s De L’Education D’un Homme Sauvage offers Itard’s firsthand account of his work with Victor.
Gravestone in Cimetière du Montparnasse. (14th arrondissement)
The main entrance to the cemetery is best reached from either the Edgar Quinet or the Raspail metro stations. From either station, walk along Blvd Edgar Quinet to cemetery entrance. Walk straight back into cemetery along its main avenue. Shortly you will encounter a grassed circle, with a statue in the center. Itard's stone is directly next to the road on the right-hand side, about 85 feet before reaching the grassed circle. Itard's is the second stone beyond a tall tomb with the words "Famille Gallois." The stone is difficult to read, as the identifying inscriptions are nearly weathered out.
Itard’s gravestone, Cimetière du Montparnasse, Paris
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