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Description
On his return to France, victorious after the battle of Marengo (14 June, 1800), Bonaparte stopped over in Lyon on 28 and 29 June. Whilst there, the town council presented him with this "Premier Consul" dresscoat, made from plain, coral-red silk velvet, embroidered in silver and gold with olive-leaf motifs. The coat, in the "à la française" style, is single-breasted, lapel-less, long-skirted and tight to the chest but flared at the thighs, just as was worn at the French court under Louis XVI's reign. Only the collar is typical of 'Consulate' fashion, a fashion that would continue into the Empire.
This coat, coupled with Bonaparte's waistcoat and short-trousers, was his ceremonial dress, intended for important occasions, and was quite in contrast to his daily wear: a double-breasted jacket with turned-down collar and less rich in terms of embroidery. This more understated jacket, which can be seen in the portrait of "Bonaparte First Consul" by Antoine-Jean Gros, was abandonned by Napoleon shortly after Marengo.
The First Consul wore his dresscoat specially to Easter Sunday mass on 18 April, 1802 (28 Germinal, An X), which was being held to mark the signature of the Concordat, as well as to the dinner that took place afterwards at the Palais des Tuileries.
Las Cases, in his Mémorial de Sainte-Hélène, wrote for his entry of 10 January, 1816: "The Emperor had the doors of his wardrobes thrown open: they contained nothing but his linen and his coats; the collection was hardly considerable, and yet it was nevertheless surprisingly rich. Inside was his Premier Consul dresscoat, in red velvet, with gold and silk embroidery; it had been presented to him by the town of Lyon; circumstance had probably ensured that it turn up here, his valet de chambre knowing that he [Napoleon] was very fond of it, because, he would say, it came from his dear town of Lyon."
Eventually, Napoleon offered the coat to Hortense, the daughter of Grand Maréchal Bertrand, and the future Madame Thayer, for her to make a dress from it! Fortunately, she decided against it and later gave it to Prince Victor Napoléon, from whom it was purchased in 1979. It is today held in the Château de Malmaison.
Denis Carlier (tr. H.D.W.)
February 2009
This dresscoat can be viewed in the "Collection de Costumes iPad app, produced by the Musée nationale des châteaux de Malmaison et Bois Préaux. This can be downloaded for free via the Apple Apps Store. The app is also available on Android devices (both external links in French).
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