Adolphe Desbarrolles

Adolphe Desbarrolles (22 August 1801 – 11 February 1886) was a French artist. He is considered the father of modern chiromancy, aka palmistry or palm reading, a form of divination.^[1]

Adolphe Desbarrolles
Born	22 August 1801  Paris
Died	11 February 1886  (aged 84) Paris
Resting place	Père Lachaise Cemetery
Occupation	Writer, lithographer
Signature

Adolphe Desbarrolles

Biography

Desbarolles was born in Paris, France. After completing his studies he spent three years in Germany before returning to France.^[2] Back in France he worked as a painter and writer before becoming interested in palmistry.

Desbarolles married and from this marriage there was a daughter, Marthe Desbarolles who also became a graphologist and continued her fathers work.

He died in Paris and was buried in the Pére Lachaise Cemetery.^[3]

He was a pupil and friend of Éliphas Lévi,^[4] who mentioned him in his Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie.^[5] He was also friend to Alexandre Dumas, concluding after reading Dumas' palm that would he die at 104 years of age, after a duel.^[6]

Satirical image depicting The Emperor of Marocco consulting the celebrated magician Desbarolles by Honoré Daumier from the Le Charivari, 13 December 1859

Works

• "Les mystères de la main révélés et expliqués, art de connaître la vie, le caractère, les aptitudes et la destinée de chacun d'après la seule inspection des mains (chiromancie nouvelle)" (1860), Paris, Dentu, 624 p.

External links

• Michon and the Birth of Scientific Graphology