Pair of scissors used to cut the Emperor’s hair after his death, and his razors and shaving brush

After the Emperor died [at five forty-nine in the evening of 5 May], General Bertrand noted in his notebooks for 5 May 1821, “At ten in the evening Abbé Vignali said a few prayers, […] at half past eleven, the Emperor was shaved. Six hours after his death he was washed and the sheets were changed”.

This pair of scissors was used to cut the Emperor’s hair after his death. The shaving brush by Biennais bearing the arms of the Emperor was among the objects which came into the possession of General Bertrand and the two razors (of English manufacture) were given to the Château de Malmaison by the descendants of Jacques Coursot, Napoleon’s butler at St Helena.

These were among the personal items that were not mentioned in Napoleon’s will but would have been shared out among the Emperor’s companions and servants.