During the month of May, the Pasteur Museum team would like to tell you about a historical series of badges from its collections. The badges date back to May 1923 and illustrate a wave of national support for scientific research.
 
An urgent appeal to raise funds
 
On May 27, 1923, as nationwide celebrations were held to mark the centenary of Louis Pasteur's birth, the French government gave its green light to an unprecedented event – a dedicated day of fundraising to raise money for France's scientific laboratories. 
 
The First World War had left France's scientific research landscape in disarray. For four years, scientists had been called up to fight, money had been redirected to the war effort and laboratories had been abandoned. By the end of the conflict, France was on its knees. It devoted the majority of its resources to rebuilding the country, and funding for science fell by the wayside. Laboratories were severely lacking in resources, making do with outdated or non-existent equipment, dilapidated premises and inadequate budgets. In this context of shortage and scarcity, Louis Pasteur, whose centenary was being celebrated that year, was seen as the perfect symbol to remind the nation that France's proud scientific heritage could only continue if it had the resources it needed.
 
The principle was simple and effective – badges would be sold to the public, mainly by school children enrolled to appeal to the generosity of passers-by. The funds raised would go to the French Academy of Sciences or the National Committee for Scientific Research. On the back of each badge was a quotation from Louis Pasteur, carefully chosen to resonate with the spirit of the times: "Without laboratories, men of science are soldiers without arms." 
 
Ten artists, ten interpretations
 
To spark interest and encourage the public to buy or even collect the little cardboard badges, ten famous artists were commissioned to design a different version each. The strategy was a cunning one – with ten different versions of the badge, buyers would be tempted to become collectors and complete the full series.
 
The illustrators included famous names from the art world, such as Maurice Denis (1870-1943), Paul-Albert Laurens (1870-1934), Francisque Poulbot (1879-1946) and the painter Henri Gervex (1852-1929). Each offered a symbolic, personal interpretation of Pasteur and his achievements, giving these cardboard miniatures the value of collector's items.
 

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Items now in the museum's collections
 
The Pasteur Museum currently has 11 of these badges, as well as the original pastel by Maurice Denis that served as a preparatory drawing for one of the models. The drawing offers an insight into the process from artistic creation to production of the final object.
 

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These miniatures symbolize the image of Pasteur as both scientist and protector, while also illustrating a widespread movement in support of science and a determined effort by the government to harness a scientific legacy to serve the common good, at a pivotal moment in the country's history.
 
A legacy that resonates today
More than a century after "Pasteur Day," these badges carry a message that is still relevant today – the need for funding to support science.
 
If you are interested in the latest museum news, have any questions or are in possession of any technical or scientific objects that can provide clues to the past activities of the Institut Pasteur's laboratories, feel free to contact the museum team at musee@pasteur.fr and follow us on social media (LinkedIn, Instagram). 

Sources:
Anne Heuqueville, « Bon anniversaire Monsieur Pasteur ! Retour sur le centenaire de Pasteur en 1922 et 1923 », Gallica 
Archives d’Indre-et-Loire, « Le 27 mai 1923 était autrefois la Journée Pasteur »