Was He A Lefty?

Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine are apparently one of the most famous left-handed couples in history. I have seen several references to this in the last few weeks, so I have been obsessively looking through many books and paintings to see which hand is more prominent. In this one, the left is holding the reins, which I think the stronger hand would normally do. A lefty? More likely he could use both hands equally. I think, ambidextrous. A pen in one hand and a sword in the other.

Napoleon As A Bean Counter

"A budget is made up of receipts and expenditure,

both of equal importance.

Even were only simple disbursements involved,

a mere statement of receipts would not suffice."

I am always pleased to read when Napoleon lowered the boom on spending. He was a shrewd manager and perhaps he liked accounting. He did not spend money France did not have...hence the wars with other countries created a nice cash infusion that helped pay for the major Paris monuments we know and love.

The ledger shown is:

BUDGET DE LA MAISON DE L'EMPEREUR POUR 1811.

Wouldn't I like to pour though this book!

Napoleon by Vernet

Napoleon by Émile Jean-Horace Vernet.
Vernet opted to paint with realism. This painting was one I had never seen before. It was on the cover of a 1921 L'Illustration magazine that I tracked down. I was quite lucky to get this issue. This cover painting is very interesting though. It made me want to know more about the artist.
I was able to locate most of Vernet's paintings online, but not this one. Interesting. It is a striking painting. Perhaps not as grandiose as the battle scenes or Napoleon's Farewell at Fontainbleau...but I do like it a lot.

For The Birds

I am reading a fabulous book about Joseph Bonaparte. "The Man Who Had Been King – The American Exile of Napoleon's Brother Joseph."
A major mystery it has solved for me is bird related.
Many times when I have done searches for "Bonaparte" an image of a bird has appeared. Since birds are not high on my list of things I want to connect to Napoleon, I have not really stopped to pay attention to this reference until I started this new book.
Joseph had two daughters. Charlotte and Zanaide. He married Zanaide off to his bother Lucien's son Charles Lucien. (Yikes. They were cousins….didn't they learn anything from the damaged royal bloodlines?)
Anyway, Charles was a bird enthusiast. He became quite the legend after he moved with his wife to Philadelphia and updated the bird bible: American Ornithology. He himself is responsible for discovering 20 new bird species. He is also credited with discovering the now famous bird artist Audobon and hired him to paint many new birds for the update four-volume book set.
Anyway, Charles got a bird named after him. Its Bonaparte's Gull. The scientist who discovered the bird wanted to honour Charles work with the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia during the 1820s.
Bonaparte's Flycatcher was discovered by Audubon. It was renamed several times because eventally they realized it wasn't a flycatcher but a warbler. Eight years later is was renamed Canada's Flycatcher, but originally is was a Bonaparte. The final bird was named Zenaida by Charles for his wife.