Printers, booksellers and lithographers in France in the 19th century

Between 1810 and 1881, printers, booksellers and lithographers cannot practise their profession without authorisation from the Ministry of the Interior: the patent (then the authorisation, less restrictive from 1870). The National Archives keeps records of thousands of patents issued during this period. Individual files consist of very interesting archival documents: letter of the applicant, prefectural reports on the desirability of issuing a patent, certificates of capacity signed by other professionals, certificates of good life and mores, certificate of capacity, or even samples of the products marketed. A thorough work was carried out in the 1990s at the National Archives for the city of Paris, the Seine department, as well as Bordeaux, Lille, Marseille and Rouen. The individual notices created provide valuable information on the identity of individuals and their professional activity. The record of undescribed cases continued between 2017 and 2019, with more succinct information. The dataset made available comes from the inventory _Printors’ patents, booksellers and lithographers (by department) (1810-1881)_ ([consultable online](https://www.siv.archives-nationales.culture.gouv.fr/siv/IR/FRAN_IR_056981)). It lists some 18000 printers, booksellers and lithographers, authorised to practice in metropolitan France in the 19th century: * identity information: surnames, first names, sex; for detailed instructions*: dates of existence; * professional information: type of patent, place of practice; for detailed instructions*: professional address(s), practice dates, specialty, predecessor(s), successor(s); * geolocation information. _* The detailed notices concern Paris, the former department of the Seine, Bordeaux, Lille, Marseille and Rouen._ The vast majority of cases concern Paris (4884 files), then Lyon (302), Bordeaux (240) and Marseille (222). Nevertheless, the entire territory is covered, with the existence of booksellers even in very rural areas. It should be noted that an individual may cumulate several patents, usually grouped in a single file, including when exercising in another municipality: there will then be only one entry in the dataset. Finally, one in five files (3,260 files) concerns a woman: these are mainly booksellers, but there are also several hundred printers or lithographers.