[The pharmacists of Angoulême in the days of Honoré de Balzac]

The large volume of Honoré de Balzac's correspondence testifies to his keen sense of friendship. He stayed in Angoulême three times at his friend Carraud's, which inspired his novel: Les Illusions perdues. His character, Lucien, is the son of Chardon, a pharmacist of the l'Houmeau, neighborhood similar to a real life character Evangelista. As the chemical revolution was dawning, the pharmacists of Angoulême, who often held their positions from their fathers, belonged to the town's 19th century bourgeoisie.