Internal Passport - City of Charleville - Antoine LECOUTE (o - Lot 251

Lot 251
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Internal Passport - City of Charleville - Antoine LECOUTE (o - Lot 251
Internal Passport - City of Charleville - Antoine LECOUTE (or LECOUTEL), Year IX of the Republic (1801) Printed internal passport with handwritten notes, signatures, and official stamps. Issued by the City of Charleville (Ardennes department) on 23 Prairial, Year IX (June 12, 1801), for citizen Antoine LECOUTE (probable reading of the surname), residing in Givet. Large folio size (approx. 45 × 33 cm), printed on laid paper, entirely completed by hand. The document provides a detailed description of the bearer: forty-five years old, 1.880 m tall, with brown hair, blue eyes, and an elongated face, traveling to Paris and Versailles. It bears several official stamps from the City of Charleville, the Ardennes department, and the police authorities, as well as the handwritten signatures of municipal and prefectural officials. The reverse side is particularly interesting: it is covered with numerous handwritten visas and authorizations, attesting to the various checks the holder underwent during the journey. It bears several police and municipal stamps, as well as various contemporary administrative annotations, providing a concrete illustration of how the control of the movement of people functioned under the Consulate. The document also bears the old handwritten notation “Mon passeport” (“My passport”), likely added by its holder or a previous owner, as well as an old collection reference number “Inv. Dupont No. 33,” attesting to its conservation history. A document of remarkable historical significance, illustrating the system of internal passports established after the Revolution to monitor citizens’ movements. The numerous visas affixed along the journey considerably enhance its documentary value, making it a concrete testament to French administrative practices in the early 19th century. Condition: a few marginal tears that were restored in the past, creases from use, slight soiling and foxing, with no damage to the text or stamps. A very fine, distinctive piece, extensively stamped and annotated.
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