La fabrique du Temps

Visitors to the Musée de La Poste will discover remarkable items along the way: a late 18th-century travel clock, a 1850 mail coach watch, historical photographs (from 1887 to the present), postal history and philately artefacts (including date stamps, cancellations, covers…), and other fascinating objects—among them around fifty almanacs ranging from the early 18th century to today.

All of these treasures and curiosities are placed in dialogue with contemporary artworks that explore the concept of timekeeping, offering a fresh and dynamic reading of these heritage objects. Through an inspiring exhibition design, around fifty contemporary works—videos, photographs, installations, objects, sculptures—challenge our perception of time, offering poetic, philosophical, and at times humorous perspectives on the subject.

La Poste, through its history is inextricably linked to the notion of time and, for centuries, has played a key role in the measurement and management of time.

As early as 1839, the postal administration—whose operations were affected by the lack of synchronisation between local time in different communes—secured a decision from the Ministry of the Interior to standardise the setting of public clocks, using tables provided by the Bureau des Longitudes. This marked the first steps towards a shared “national time”.

The rise of the railway in the mid-19th century further strengthened the need for a unified time across the country, and it was the telegraph that enabled the synchronisation of public clocks to the time kept at the Paris Observatory.

These technical advances reflect La Poste’s enduring challenge: to deliver a service that is fast, reliable, and precise. By standardising time and embracing new technologies, La Poste established itself not only as a key player in time harmonisation, but also as an institution deeply embedded in societal change.

It is this relationship with time that the Musée de La Poste has chosen to highlight through the exhibition The Making of Time (La fabrique du temps). To explore this theme, the museum has drawn upon its own holdings as well as external collections. Over one hundred objects are on display.

The exhibition will run until 3 November 2025.

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