In pictures

 This medal, issued to commemorate the Mexican campaign of 1862, was established following a decree made on 29 August 1863. The decoration was awarded to all participants in the Mexican operation launched by Napoleon III, who was seeking to create a European-inspired monarchy – ruled by the Austrian prince, Maximilian – as a counter-balance to […]

 This is a photograph of Archduke Maximilian of Austria (1832-1867) and his wife Charlotte of Belgium (1840-1927), daughter of Leopold I. They met in 1856 and were married – after much discussion concerning financial matters – on 27 July, 1857. In 1863, Maximilian was proclaimed emperor of Mexico. The imperial couple arrived in Mexico City in […]

Commissioned by the Chambre de Commerce de Lille, this statue occupies a particularly original place in the emperor's iconographical cannon. Clothed in his imperial dress, Napoleon holds an imperial sceptre in one hand, whilst with the other he protects examples of local produce, including sugar beet and a cog-wheel used in the region's linen industry. Between […]

This old postcard is in actual fact a photograph of a statue of Napoleon I as protector of agriculture and industry. The work was completed by the French sculptor Henri Lemaire. The postcard shows the statue in its original location, the courtyard of the Vieille Bourse in Lille, where it resided between 1854 and 1976. […]

 On 10 July 2011, the Princess of Hanover was present at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco to inaugurate the principality's new summer exhibition. Entitled “Magnificence and Grandeur of the Royal Houses in Europe”, the exhibition features nearly seven-hundred items taken from collections, both national and private, dedicated to the various royal houses of Europe. Twenty […]

At the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on 10 July, 2011, the Princess of Hanover presided over the inauguration of the principality's summer exhibition, “Magnificence and Grandeur of the Royal Houses in Europe”. The exhibition features nearly seven-hundred items loaned from private and national collections, including the Fondation Napoléon, which has contributed Napoleon I's nécessaire dentaire, […]

Photo taken from the commemorative laying of wreaths, which took place on 5 May 2011 at the Emperor's Tomb in Les Invalides to mark the anniversary of the death of Napoleon Bonaparte, 5 May, 1821.

Isabey was commissioned by Marie-Louise to paint a series of portraits of the infant Roi de Rome. He completed seven paintings, including a number of miniatures, one of which can be found in the clasp of a bracelet belonging to the empress. This particular work dates from 1812 and features as part of the exhibition […]

Marie-Louise gave this painting as a gift to Madame Marchand, one of the Roi de Rome’s nurses, upon her departure for Vienna. Copies of this portrait exist, with minor variations in clothing and hair. Find out more about Napoleon’s heir in our close-up on: the birth of the Roi de Rome.

This portrait depicts the son of Napoleon Bonaparte and Marie-Louise, probably at the age of three. The drawing is by Marcke, whilst the print was produced by Hopwood (this particular version is a postcard copy). Find out more about Napoleon's heir in our close-up on: the birth of the Roi de Rome.