The Musée Lambinet occupies an elegant mid-18th-century mansion in the town of Versailles, about 15 minutes' walk from the palace. It is the local history museum of Versailles as a town — not the palace, but the community that grew up to serve it. The building itself, with its original panelling and staircases, is a considerable pleasure.
The collections include furniture, paintings, ceramics, and decorative arts from the 17th–19th centuries, along with sections dedicated to the French Revolution as experienced in Versailles — the Tennis Court Oath, the women's march, the departure of the royal family. There is also material on the Treaty of Versailles negotiations of 1919, which took over much of the town.
After a morning in the palace, the Musée Lambinet provides a different perspective: the lives of the craftsmen, merchants, and officials who built and maintained the royal apparatus. It is small enough to be manageable and rarely crowded. Entry is inexpensive.