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Secondary sourceSculpturePhotographed 23 May 2023

Toussaint Louverture Statue, Place Victor Schoelcher, Massy

Marianne Casamance · Photographed 23 May 2023

A bronze statue of Toussaint Louverture holding a sword and a book, standing in a public square in Massy, France.

A modern statue depicting Louverture as both warrior and scholar, in a square named for an abolitionist.

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Bronze statue of a standing figure in a plaza, wearing a tall hat with a feather, a jacket, and boots, holding a sword in one hand and a book in the other, with trees and a cream-colored building behind. A plaque with an inscription sits at the base.
Statue of Toussaint Louverture, Place Victor Schoelcher, Massy, France. Photographed 2023.

About this source

What it is

This photograph shows a bronze statue of Toussaint Louverture in a plaza named Place Victor Schoelcher in Massy, France. The statue depicts him standing, wearing a plumed hat, holding a sword in one hand and a book in the other, with an inscribed plaque at its base.

Why it matters

Named after Victor Schoelcher, a French abolitionist, this plaza links Louverture's memory to the broader history of the fight against slavery in the French-speaking world. The statue, made long after his lifetime, shows how modern France continues to honour him as both a military leader and a man of learning, symbolised by the sword and the book.

Look closer

  • Why might the sculptor have chosen to show Louverture holding both a sword and a book?
  • What does placing this statue near Victor Schoelcher's name suggest about how the two men's legacies are connected?
  • What parts of Louverture's story can a statue like this not tell us?

This sculpture 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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