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IT'S ALL FUN AND GAMES...
... in the letter this week: our object of the month is a l'Hombre set, made of lacquer and mother of pearl, which probably belonged to Napoleon whilst on the island of St Helena. Continuing the joviality, we have a couple of early twentieth-century recordings from the vaults of the Library of Congress - E. T. Paull's rousing composition, "Napoleon's Last Charge", and Jerome Kern's hummable ditty "Napoleon" - plus details of a caricature-based exhibition which looks back on some "humorous" (but often distinctly unflattering) cartoons of George III and his time. Incidentally, George has also been in the news as Queen Elizabeth II recently replaced him as the second-longest ruling monarch in British history. Elsewhere, we return to the deposed French emperor's time(s) in exile for a moment, with a look at Napoleon's last voyages, the full text of which can be found in our digital library. And for those still after more reading material, we also have the latest edition of Napoleonica. La Revue and William L. Chew III's article on "Yankee Observers" to keep you occupied. Finally, sticking with American affairs, we have Napoleon III's practical reaction to the Civil War (150 years ago) plus, to round things off, Joseph's struggles in Spain (in 200 years ago).
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OBJET D'ART OF THE MONTH
Deluxe accoutrements for the card game, L'Hombre
Made from lacquer and mother of pearl, this deluxe set for use with the card game L'Hombre has been identified as the "set of ivory counters and box, [...] of Chinese manufacture", referred to by Napoleon's doctor on St Helena, Barry O'Meara, in his famous volume of conversations with Napoleon, A voice from St. Helena, and apparently given to the emperor on 9 July, 1817. According to the Irish doctor, the set had been made by the British Lord Elphinstone and was sent to the emperor because the latter had saved the lord's brother from death the day before Waterloo. The Jeu de l'Hombre, known in English as Lhomber, is a card game for three players, and is in fact the ancestor of Contract Bridge.
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DIGITAL LIBRARY
Napoleon's last voyages. Diaries of Thomas Ussher (on board the "Undaunted") and John Glover (on board the "Northumberland")
"The diaries now republished in this volume are of great interest, whether they are regarded as historical documents or as revelations of character." John Holland Rose, the famous British historian, thus introduces the diaries of Thomas Ussher and John Glover, which recount their experiences with the recently deposed French emperor. Mixing campaign reminiscences with accounts of life onboard HMS Northumberland (Glover) and HMS Undaunted (Ussher), the documents paint a fascinating portrait of Napoleon on his journeys into exile (Elba in 1814, and St Helena in 1815). These two diaries were published together for the first time in 1895, the second edition of which (from 1906) is available in full as part of the Fondation Napoléon's digital library.
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WHAT'S ON
"George III in caricature", Richmond, UK
Kew Palace, the home of King George III, will be marking the 250th anniversary year of his coronation with an exhibition of rarely-seen Georgian royal caricatures, united for the first time with personal objects belonging to the victims of their "humour". These include numerous satirical portrayals of George III himself, along with several shockingly unflattering depictions of Georgian royal weddings. This selection of prints from the golden age of Georgian caricature includes numerous works by the famous political satirist James Gillray. The exhibition offers a fascinating insight into how the portrayal of George III and his family in the popular press developed throughout his reign, the longest of any male British monarch.
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SEEN ON THE WEB
"He was five feet high, but he was one tough guy, and I take after Nap...": from the vaults of the Library of Congress
The National Jukebox, a project run by the United States' Library of Congress, features two recordings of Napoleonic interest. Up first is "Napoleon's Last Charge", composed by E. T. Paull and performed by Conway's Band in 1916, three minutes of sprightly brass band marching music, complete with galloping horses, rousing bugle calls and military piccolos. The second, simply entitled "Napoleon", is a slightly more light-hearted ditty from 1917, with music by the famous Broadway and Hollywood composer Jerome Kern, lyrics by English humorist P. G. Wodehouse, and performance by tenor Billy Murray. Both can be heard in full via the National Jukebox website (external links).
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NAPOLEONICA. LA REVUE
Issue n° 10 out now
Continuing our browse through issue n° 10 of Napoleonica. La Revue, announced in the napoleon.org bulletin last week, our latest article suggestion is William L. Chew III's "Yankee Observers, Napoleon, and American Exceptionalism". Taking a look at contemporary accounts of Napoleon-governed France, written by American travellers. this article seeks to analyse their depiction of and reaction to the Napoleonic regime in light of the first French Republic, the Terror and the Directory.
IN THE NEWS
Elizabeth II passes George III
On 13 May, 2011, the UK's Queen Elizabeth II became the second longest reigning British monarch, moving ahead of George III, who reigned for 59 years and 96 days, and just over four years short of Queen Victoria.
200 YEARS AGO
Joseph arrives in Paris
The date of the Roi de Rome's baptism (originally planned for 2 June, before being put back a week, to 9 June) was fast approaching. With the imperial family's principal members heading to Paris for the ceremony (as the Moniteur noted on 19 and 25 May, 1811), Joseph saw the perfect opportunity to engage Napoleon in person and express his displeasure at the state of affairs in Spain. By early 1811, Joseph's control of Spain was under threat: with no fewer than five French generals active in the area (Augereau, Soult, Kellerman, Suchet and Macdonald, all acting on Napoleon's orders), the French emperor had also created four military governments in the north, effectively annexing the area to the French Empire. An imperial announcement concerning the official dismemberment of Joseph's Spanish kingdom could not be long in coming. Joseph, feeling betrayed at the lack of support from his brother and undermined by Napoleon's lieutenants in the Iberian peninsula, threatened to abdicate and retire to the French countryside as a private citizen. Arriving in the French capital on 15 May, Joseph presented his demands to Napoleon on 16 May. Deciding that Joseph still had a role to play in the Empire, the French emperor acquiesced - to a certain extent: although Joseph desired full control over all the armies active in the region, Napoleon only went as far as to grant him supreme command of any army should he be in attendance at the army headquarters. He was also offered a monthly subsidy from the French treasury, plus some of the revenue raised from areas controlled by the Armée du Nord (under Bessières) and the Armée d'Aragon (under Suchet). In a conciliatory announcement on 17 June, 1811, Napoleon declared before the Corps Législatif, "I have accorded to the King of Spain all that is right and necessary in order to unite the interests of the different peoples of his provinces." Unfortunately for Joseph, little came of this grand declaration, and faced with the two insurrectionary powers - in Portugal and in Spain - plus the growing British presence on the peninsula, Joseph's sphere of influence dwindled under the weight of the conflicting power centres.
150 YEARS AGO
American Civil War: Napoleon III reinforces his fleet in the West Indies
Faced with the outbreak of hostilities between the northern and southern American states (see bulletins n°s 582 and 584), Napoleon III moved to reinforce his naval forces based in the Caribbean (around Fort-de-France, Martinique), clearly intent on protecting French interests in the area from being caught up in the rapidly escalating conflict. The Moniteur Universel reported on 24 May, 1861 that "one frigate, two avisos [small sloop-like dispatch boats] and a gunboat [had been] placed under the command of Rear Admiral Reynaud," and that the station would from that point on cover both the West Indies and North America.
Wishing you an excellent "Napoleonic" week,
Peter Hicks & Hamish Davey Wright
Historians and web-editors
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N° 585, 20 – 26 MAY, 2011
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© This Napoleon.org weekly bulletin is published by the Fondation Napoléon. Reproduction or all or part of this bulletin is forbidden, without prior agreement of the Fondation Napoléon.
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OPERATION ST HELENA
The Fondation Napoléon and the Souvenir Napoléonien, in association with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have announced an international fund-raising campaign to restore and save Napoleon I's residence on the island of St Helena. All the details regarding the campaign as well as donation forms and advice for donating from outside France, can be found on napoleon.org.
FONDATION NAPOLEON ON THE WEB
Each week we offer you a "mystery" link to somewhere on napoleon.org. Click on the link to discover a part of the website you might not have visited before...
MAGAZINE
Press review
- History Today May 2011
- Dix-Neuf: "Sous Napoléon III: New Thoughts on Flaubert's 'Second Empire Novel'"
EVENTS
On now and coming up
A selection of events taking place now or in the coming weeks, taken from our What's on listings.
Conferences
- "The Napoleonic Continental System: Local, European, and Global Experiences and Consequences", Amsterdam/Haarlem, The Netherlands [19/05/2011 - 21/05/2011]
Full details
Exhibitions
- "George III in caricature", Richmond, UK [02/04/2011 - 25/09/2011]
Full details
NAPOLEON.ORG
The best of the month:
- Book of the month
- Painting of the month
- Objet d'Art of the month
- Article of the month
NAPOLEONICA.LA REVUE
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