Bust of Henry Dunant
Production date
1990s
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Henry Dunant, born on the 8th of May 1828, was a Swiss businessman and the founder of the Red Cross movement. Dunant wrote a book entitled ‘a Memory of Solferino’, which was published in 1862. In the book, he wrote about the suffering of the wounded soldiers he saw in the aftermath of the Battle of Solferino in 1859.
Dunant proposed the formation of voluntary relief societies to care for the wounded in wartime and the establishment of an international convention to guarantee their protection. These proposals led to the birth of the Red Cross movement and the Organisation of a Diplomatic Conference, held in August 1864 in Geneva, to discuss the terms of a treaty “for the amelioration of the condition of the wounded in armies in the field”. This was the original Geneva Convention. It was initially signed by 12 states, and by 1867 it was ratified by 16 states. Great Britain ratified the treaty on the 18th of February 1865.
Despite being a founding member and secretary of the International Committee for Relief to the Wounded, which was later renamed the International Committee of the Red Cross, in 1867 he was blamed for the bankruptcy of a financial firm and was forced to leave Geneva and the International Committee. He moved to Paris, where he lived a life of poverty.
However, Dunant continued humanitarian work throughout his life, despite his own hardships. For example, during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, he visited and comforted wounded soldiers brought to Paris. In 1895 he was discovered by a journalist who wrote an article about him. In December 1901, he was the joint winner of the first Nobel Peace Prize. However, Dunant never spent any of the money during his lifetime. He continued to live simply and left the money in his will to those who cared for him and charitable causes. He died on the 30th of October 1910.
It is fair to say that without Henry Dunant and his idea, there may not be a Red Cross movement today. He was an incredible person and is very special to the Red Cross movement. He is remembered by every Red Cross society around the world, and he is a huge inspiration to me.
Audio recording by Mehzebin Adam (Curator, British Red Cross Museum & Archives)
Dunant proposed the formation of voluntary relief societies to care for the wounded in wartime and the establishment of an international convention to guarantee their protection. These proposals led to the birth of the Red Cross movement and the Organisation of a Diplomatic Conference, held in August 1864 in Geneva, to discuss the terms of a treaty “for the amelioration of the condition of the wounded in armies in the field”. This was the original Geneva Convention. It was initially signed by 12 states, and by 1867 it was ratified by 16 states. Great Britain ratified the treaty on the 18th of February 1865.
Despite being a founding member and secretary of the International Committee for Relief to the Wounded, which was later renamed the International Committee of the Red Cross, in 1867 he was blamed for the bankruptcy of a financial firm and was forced to leave Geneva and the International Committee. He moved to Paris, where he lived a life of poverty.
However, Dunant continued humanitarian work throughout his life, despite his own hardships. For example, during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, he visited and comforted wounded soldiers brought to Paris. In 1895 he was discovered by a journalist who wrote an article about him. In December 1901, he was the joint winner of the first Nobel Peace Prize. However, Dunant never spent any of the money during his lifetime. He continued to live simply and left the money in his will to those who cared for him and charitable causes. He died on the 30th of October 1910.
It is fair to say that without Henry Dunant and his idea, there may not be a Red Cross movement today. He was an incredible person and is very special to the Red Cross movement. He is remembered by every Red Cross society around the world, and he is a huge inspiration to me.
Audio recording by Mehzebin Adam (Curator, British Red Cross Museum & Archives)
Collection Type
Objects
Catalogue Number
150.1
Subject Person and Role
Henry Dunant (b.1828, d.1910)
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