Napoleon's Winter Coat

I can't stop thinking about Napoleon's winter coat. I am wondering if he is wearing it in either of these painting depicting the the retreat from Moscow.

Tsar Alexander gave Napoleon a sable lined fur coat when they met for peace talks A very nice gift.

Its been written that Napoleon then wore this coat on all his future winter campaigns. I wonder if he wore it when he invaded Russia? Did he wear it on purpose? I would love to know if he thought this was funny.

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Napoleon in The News Today

Mr. Ben Weider did a very fine thing today.

He donated his Napoleon collection to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

And its a pretty special collection too! The Montreal Gazette story is linked here.

It includes one of Nappy's shirts, the hat he wore invading Russia, locks of hair, gloves, boots and so much more. There are 60 pieces.

The interviewer asked about the hat...and if Ben had ever worn it. He said absolutely not.

Ah. Very honourable.

If the hat was mine I would be wearing it right now as I typed this entry.

But that's me. Thinking that perhaps the greatness is transferable.

The museum show is opening this October (quick. let me pull out my day timer) and apparently a great great grandson of Jerome will attend the opening. What am I doing October 23??

Napoleon - The Clothes Horse

I have a hard time believing that Napoleon ever had any interest in clothing. He looks a little uncomfortable whenever I see a painting of him in formal court dress. But dress he did.

More important...he must have had lengthy conversations about style and colour. He was an active participant in any sort of a decision that effected his image.

The master painter David seems to have been his style guru. He was today's equivalent of a personal shopper.

Think about it.

David, the greatest painter of his day discussing the pros and cons of velvet with Napoleon the greatest leader in history.

It was David who suggested the return to a uniform for Napoleon's government. So in the autumn of 1802 Napoleon appeared in his red velvet embroidered coat. His everyday outfit. I think this is it! I just found it. I knew this painting was of Napoleon at a formal at the Louvre, but the coat is titled "dress coat of Napoleon."

Its fall here in Canada. Perhaps I will look for a red velvet coat for myself.

Malmaison

This is a picture I took this April at the front gates to Malmaison. This was Josephine's favorite and final home. During the first two years of their marriage, Napoleon and Josephine spent quite a bit of time here. Even after Napoleon became First Consul, they continued to live full time here, so government and military leaders had to drive here to meet Napoleon.

And by drive, I mean via horse and carriage.

In Evangeline Bruce's book she says that "the five mile drive from Paris in one of the new and light rapid carriages took under an hour." I always wondered how it was possible for Napoleon to stay so far from central Paris. I never realized it was a mere five miles away.

I have gone by train and hired car...and never arrived in under 90 minutes to two hours.

It must have been something to ride out to this part of the greater Paris area when there was nothing but forest and farm land. Now it is one hugely congested suburb. Its bumper to bumper traffic all the way.

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Napoleon's Wedding Gift to Josephine

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I am on the hunt for an image.

Napoleon presented Josephine with one wedding gift. "a simple necklace of chains of hair holding a gold enameled medalion on which was engraved "To Destiny."

I have found many references to it...but no image.

Still looking through my books.

And is the hair Napoleon's for the chain?

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An Improbable Marriage

I think that Evangeline Bruce's book about Napoleon and Josephine may in fact be the one I like the best.
I accidentally bought a second copy of it earlier this summer thinking it was a new book....but it was just a different cover. Since it was out, I decided to make this second copy a "research copy." I have bent the corner of dozens of pages! There are so many interesting facts to follow up with that I will dedicate the next dozen or so entries to some of her findings.
Her chapter on Josephine's return to Martinique for two years after her first husbands rejection was fascinating. I always believe that people with no money, living on borrowed funds are somehow living a very meek existence. I assumed that Josephine went home, stayed on the plantation and maybe pitched in a little.
Not so.
She partied non stop!
She was written up in the papers and various diaries have merged chronicling her time on the island. Several new lovers were added to a long list.
In one of her letters to her aunt in Paris she requests that "five pairs of English garters, a dozen fans and a muslin ball" be sent to her. Hmmmmm. Life on a bankrupt plantation must be more exciting than I thought.