Caricature de Darwin par Andre Gill, 18th Août, 1878, La Lune

Scientist and theologian Franz Leenhardt (1846-1922) dedicated much of his life to bridging the divide between theology and science. he made extensive studies of prehistoric life throughtout the Mediterranean, Egypt, and North africa.

In the 1870's, he famously who challenged Darwin's theories of evolution, which had reached France and caused a massive stir. In and around Montpellier, Franz raised brows with his "cabinet de curiosité" full of specimens in jars and dinosaur bones, not to mention the sight of him riding one of France's first bicycles, the vélocipède, which he built himself.

 

Portrait de Franz Leenhardt et à Palavas avec son Vélocipède. Collection Privée