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Secondary sourceBook1877

Toussaint Louverture, général en chef de l'armée de Saint-Domingue

Thomas Prosper Gragnon-Lacoste · 1877

A French biography of Toussaint Louverture published in 1877, based on unpublished documents and family papers.

A later biography of Toussaint drawing on family papers and documents to reconstruct his life.

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Toussaint Louverture, général en chef de l'armée de Saint-DominguePDF · 422 pages
Thomas Prosper Gragnon-Lacoste, Toussaint Louverture, général en chef de l'armée de Saint-Domingue, 1877.

About this source

What it is

This is a biography of Toussaint Louverture written by Thomas Prosper Gragnon-Lacoste and published in 1877. The author says he used unpublished documents and historical and private papers belonging to the Louverture family.

Why it matters

Written decades after Toussaint's death, this biography reflects how later writers tried to piece together his life using family sources, including a portrait the author says came directly from Toussaint's family. It shows how Toussaint's memory was shaped and preserved by those close to him and by historians afterward.

Look closer

  • Why might the author emphasize that the portrait and documents came directly from Toussaint's family?
  • What does it mean for a biography to rely on papers kept by descendants rather than official archives?
  • How might a biography written in 1877 differ from one written during Toussaint's lifetime?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Toussaint Louverture on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Book cover in green, pink, red, blue, black and orange marbled paper with a black spine on the left. A white label at top left shows handwritten call numbers 'Lk 554' and 'g°'. Text at bottom reads 'Source gallica.bnf.fr / Bibliothèque nationale de France'.Document

Primary source

Constitution républicaine des colonies française de Saint-Domaingue

Toussaint Louverture · 1801

Title page of a book, a scan of a yellowed printed page reading 'Mémoires du Général Toussaint-L'Ouverture, écrits par lui-même', with a publisher's ornament and 'Paris, Pagnerre, Libraire-Éditeur, 1853' at the bottom. The book is attributed to Saint-Remy, not handwritten manuscript.Book

Primary source

Mémoires du Général Toussaint-L'Ouverture écrits par lui-même

Toussaint Louverture · 1853 (text written 1802)

Painted portrait of a man in a dark-blue and red military uniform with gold epaulettes, a white sash with gold stars, and white trousers. He holds a folded paper in his right hand and stands before a stormy blue sky and dark mountains, with a sword hilt visible at his left side.Painting

Secondary source

Général Toussaint Louverture

19th century

Sepia-toned engraving of a standing man in a black top hat with a tall plume, a dark military-style coat with chevron-patterned sleeves, and a sash at the waist. He holds a folded paper in one hand and a curved sabre in the other. Behind him are a fortified hillside, a small building on top, palm trees, and a second figure in uniform with a plumed hat.Painting

Secondary source

19th century engraving of L'Ouverture

J. Barlow, after a sketch by Marcus Rainsford · 19th century

Sepia engraving of a scene in a tropical landscape: a tall officer in a plumed hat and uniform stands center, receiving a letter from a man in a long coat at right, while a woman in a long dress, children, and other figures gather around, with palm fronds and trees behind.Painting

Secondary source

Toussaint Louverture reçoit une lettre du Premier Consul

Charles Monnet · 1802

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