Napoleonic Pleasures

Twelfth Cake is part of a tradition which dates from medieval times. It was a large fruit cake made and eaten to celebrate the Twelfth Night or Epiphany, which was a much bigger feast-day than Christmas at the time (Christmas did not gain its popularity until the 19th century). At one time, a large party […]

The Publication of Letters of the French Army, Intercepted by the British During the Egyptian expedition, English and Turkish boats captured French vessels carrying letters from the men of the army and scientists. The English chancery read these missives carefully, which gave an excellent impression of the state of the French army in Egypt, their […]

A ring given by General Bonparte to Josephie de Beauharnais On 9 March, 1796, the young general Bonaparte was joined in matrimony to ‘M. J. R. Tascher' (Josephine) at a civil ceremony. Whilst not the wedding ring itself, the gold and enamel ring here, worked into the initials ‘NB' and bearing an inscription reading ‘sincere […]

Funérailles de l’Empereur Napoléon [1840], Album de lithographies. Ouvrage dédié à Son Altesse Royale le prince de Joinville, chargé par le roi d’accomplir le dernier voeu de l’Empereur 'I wish my remains to rest on the banks of the Seine among the people of France whom I so much loved.' (Last Will and Testament of Napoleon […]

The Continental blockade had serious culinary consequences for the French population, especially in terms of coffee and sugar, since these came from the tropical colonies and the commercial sea routes which brought them had been cut off from France. Coffee was an especially serious privation. In great contrast to its limited success on introduction at […]

Clement Shorter, Napoleon in his own defence (London, 1910) Clement Shorter was a self-made man who led a successful career in journalism. Indeed he not only founded The Tatler in 1901 but was also editor of various publications, including the Illustrated London News and the English Illustrated Magazine. He was also founder editor of The […]

A Napoleonic collection in the heart of London John Sainsbury was a Napoleonic sympathiser who amassed a large collection of Napoleonic memorabilia. Mogg’s New Picture of London (1844) described him as a clerical agent. The reason for his amassing a collection of Napoleonica was in order to give a reply to the “unmeasured abuse” which […]

Satirical song cycle for 1815: "Le terme d’un règne, ou Le règne d’un terme ; relation véridique écrite en forme de pot-pourri, sous la dictée de Cadet buteux, par Désaugiers, son secrétaire intime" The popular composer Marc Antoine Désaugiers (1772-1827) was a Parisian celebrity during the First Empire, and his popular tunes were on everyone's […]

The recipe for potage à la reine most probably dates from the 15th century, and was thus named in honour of queen Marguerite of Valois, the first wife of Henri IV. It was served at court at least once a week. It even entered the menus of hospitals as its ingredients made it a hearty […]