Carnavalet Museum

At the lowest level of the Carnavalet Museum Paris, this collection showcases artworks and other objects excavated from neolithic sites. Some of the prime highlights of this section include Gallo–Roman artifacts from Lutetia, a 2700 BC pirogue made of a single tree, and artifacts discovered from the first permanent settlement of Paris in 1990s including wooden tools, pottery, carved figurines, earthen cooking pots, and farming & fishing equipment.

The exhibits in the Medieval to Renaissance section of the Carnavalet Museum date between the 5th and the 16th centuries. Some of the main exhibits of this section include a sample model of the Île de la Cité, a 14th-century sculpture of the Virgin Mary's head, sculpted busts of Saints and Apostles, stained glass windows from the Dormans-Beauvais College chapel, artworks by Francis I, Catherine de Medici, and Henry IV dating back to the 16th century, and a 13th-century ornate chest.

This section of the museum is home to the magnificent statues of Henry IV and Louis XIV that were originally placed on the Pont Neuf and in the Place de la Concorde respectively, but were torn down during the French Revolution. This section also showcases beautiful furniture made by the eminent cabinetmaker Andre-Charles Boulle and a plethora of brilliant artworks made by the students of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture.

This section of the Carnavalet Museum Paris showcases two 18th-century rooms from the Hôtel de Breteuil, Voltaire's armchair, the Salon Demarteau, and the Salon of Philosophers. Some of the prime highlights of this section include an artwork showcasing the marriage of Louis XIII to Anne of Austria, a portrait of Cardinal Mazarin dating back to the year 1665, a plethora of artworks of Madame de Sévigné, and letters of Madame de Sévigné to her beloved daughter.

As its name suggests, this section of the Carnavalet Museum is home to a huge collection of awe-inspiring objects and artifacts associated with the French Revolution. Some of the main exhibits of this section include paintings or sculptures of renowned Revolutionary figures including Danton, Mirabeau, and Robespierre and the cell at the Temple Prison where Louis XVI was imprisoned along with his wife Marie Antoinette and their son.

This section showcases a number of things owned by Napoleon Bonaparte, like his death mask and the silverware case and dish brought by him on his military campaigns. You can also see the statue of "Victory" or "Immortality" made by Louis-Simone Boizot between 1806 and 1808 and the portrait of Juliette Récamier made by François Gérard in 1805. Some of the important paintings to check out in this section include "Louis Phillipe celebrates victory at the Hotel de Ville on 31 July 1830" and "The Louvre under attack during the 1830 July Revolution ''.

This section of the Carnavalet Museum is home to some interesting exhibits including the cradle of Napoleon III's son, Louis Napoleon Bonaparte and the painting "Baron Hausmann présents the plan for annexing the communes surrounding Paris to Napoleon III (1859)".

This section of the Carnavalet Museum Paris exhibits pictures that showcase the Paris Commune during the time when the French Army regained the city. These photographs display the fires lit on the night of May 23-24, 1871 by the Paris Commune and the barricade built by them on March 18, 1871.

As the name suggests, this section of the museum showcases the cultural life of Paris that flourished throughout the Belle Epoque era. This section exhibits impressive paintings made by eminent illustrators like Henri Gervex, Louise Abbéma, Jean Béraud, and Carolus-Duran. There are also a plethora of colorful posters made by legendary artists including the Chat Noir and Moulin Rouge cabarets. You can see some iconic paintings by Paul-Joseph-Victor Dargaud, such as "The Grand Boulevards, exit of the Theatre des Varietes", "The Assembly of the Statue of Liberty'', and "The Cafe de Paris''.

When the Musée Carnavalet was reopened in 2021 after renovation, many objects from the period between the 20th and 21st centuries were stocked here for display. Some of the key exhibits here include furniture and personal belongings of Marcel Proust, pictures of 20th-century Paris clicked by Eugène Atget and Henri Cartier-Bresson, the Hotel de Wendel's ballroom, a painting of a mid-1900s crowded café by Leonard Foujita, a textile work by renowned artists Nil Yalter and Judy Blum, and pictures documenting the liberation of Paris.