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In this week's letter...
we have excellent news: Napoleonica les Archives is now online again, offering access to a wealth of digitised Napoleonic documents relating to the First Empire. We also have a new painting of the month, Yvon's Napoleon III handing Baron Haussmann the Decree Annexing the Parisian Suburban Communes - a painting originally rejected by its commissioners for not thoroughly glorifying this momentous event in the history of Paris. The discovery of Richard III's skeleton has been garnering a lot of media attention this week, but there's been a recent Napoleonic discovery, too: a pair of shoes belonging to Napoleon I's sister, Pauline - we've got more details and a news article about it. Then there are details of two events in Italy: a conference on Napoleonic influence in Mestre, organised by the Souvenir Napoléonien in North Italy, and an exhibition on marksmanship at the Museo Glauco Lombardi, Parma, as well as details of the London National Army Museum's search for ‘Britain's greatest battle', with information on how to vote and details of a conference to be held in April.
On the right hand side, as usual, we bring you a handpicked selection of publications - this week about the War of 1812, the Campaign in Italy in 1866 and a new bibliography of the Seven Weeks' War between Austria and Prussia in the same year. Don't forget to check out our seen on the web section to see an overview of Napoleonic related art in museums in the UK and an online exhibition about thePeninsular War, known in Spain as the War of Independence.
Enjoy!
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Napoleonica les Archives
We're delighted to announce that this invaluable resource is now fully accessible. It contains hundreds of digitised documents relating to the First Empire, most importantly those relating to the Conseil d'Etat and the letters of Vivant Denon, director of museums under the consulate .
There's also a selection of contemporary drawings and sketches by Frédéric-Christophe d'Houdetot, such as this one of Cambacères.
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Painting of the Month
Napoleon III Hands Baron Haussmann the decree Annexing the Parisian Suburban Communes, by Adolphe Yvon
Yvon often received official commissions, and he was asked to paint the work here, Napoleon III Hands Baron Haussmann the Decree Annexing the Parisian Suburban Communes, by the Paris municipal council, as decoration for its meeting room. However, the council judged the painting too formulaic for such a major event in the history of Paris and demanded a new one from Yvon. This second painting, which depicted the the reception of the prefect Haussmann and the municipal council by the Imperial couple with all the splendour of the court, was lost during the fire at the Hôtel de Ville at the time of the commune in 1871. Thus it is the first ‘failed' version, presented here, which is the only surviving figurative commemoration of the extension of Paris.
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A Cinderella Story
Staff at Aberdeen University have found a pair of tiny shoes belonging to Napoleon I's sister, Pauline. The shoes were part of a gift given to the Scottish doctor and traveller, Robert Wilson, with whom the princess enjoyed a singular friendship. The shoes have been hidden away for 140 years, but will go on display at the University of Aberdeen's museum.
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What's on
1809-1813 Aquile sotto assedio (Eagles under Siege), Forte Marghera, Mestre (Italy)
A series of talks, an exhibition and a reenactment focused on Napoleonic military influence in northern Italy between 1809-1813, organised by Le Souvenir Napoléonien and the Associazione Culturale Historica Memoria.
150 Years of Marksmanship, Museo Glauco Lombardi, Parma (Italy)
An exhibition displaying 250 various types of muzzleloading guns and the equipment used with them, showing the development of the art of marksmanship over the course of 150 years.
Britain's Greatest Battles, The National Army Museum in London (UK)
The National Army Museum are running a campaign for the public to vote for ‘Britain's greatest battles' from the country's long military history. You can read about the different battles, make suggestions and vote online here. As part of the campaign, there will be a series of talks on 20 April, 2013, with prominent speakers putting forward their own thoughts about which historic battle deserves the title of ‘greatest'.
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200 Years Ago
On 7 February, 1813, Russian troops entered the city of Warsaw unopposed, having taken control of the territory to the east of the city. Schwarzenberg's troops had already evacuated the city, with the last troops leaving on 6 February. At this point, the Duchy of Warsaw, the former French ally, ceased to exist. Soon afterwards, the city became the seat of a Russian Viceroy, whilst the rest of the former Duchy was restored to Prussia.
150 Years Ago
On 12 February, 1863; Le Moniteur reported uprisings in Poland which were spreading beyond the country's borders into the adjacent regions under control of the Russian Empire, such as Volhynia and Lithuania, where a state of siege had been declared by the Emperor Alexander II on 7 February. Just as they had done in 1794, under the leadership of Kosciuszko, the Poles aspired to increased freedom at the top of their political wishlist, a list that also included and end to feudal servitude, greater democracy, the participation of the local elites in political bodies and extended rights for Jews. These recurring revolts had already led to harsh crackdown by the Russian troops, but Le Moniteur noted that at the beginning of 1863 “the defeats of the insurgents do nothing but excite the spirit of rebellion further … all classes, most notably woman and the clergy, but not the peasantry, have embrace the rebels' cause with enthusiasm”. The Le Moniteur gave the following information about the Russian side: “Russian reports are becoming fewer and further between”. Martial law against the population in arms and the infiltration of Russian agents into independentist movement finally ended by undermining the Polish rebellion within the year.
Wishing you an excellent "Napoleonic" week,
Peter Hicks and Andrew Miles
Historians and web editors
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N0 657, 08-14 FEBRUARY, 2013
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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 the prolongation of its 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
You can still donate online to the project via the Friends of the Fondation de France in the US here
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MAGAZINE
Just Published
- Neither Victor nor Vanquished: America in the War of 1812, by William Weber
- History of the Campaign of 1866 in Italy, by Alexander Hold
-A Bibliography of the Seven Weeks' War, by Stuart Sutherland
Seen on the web (external links)
- An online overview of Napoleonic art in UK art collections.
- Online exhibition about the Peninsular War (Spanish War of Independence - in Spanish).
Press Review
- Pauline Bonaparte's slippers discovered
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.
Talks
- Britain's Greatest Battles [20/04/2013, London, UK]
Conferences
- 1809-1813 Aquile sotto assedio (Eagles under Siege), [06/04/2013 - 14/04/2013, Mestre, Italy]
Exhibitions
- 150 Years of Marksmanship [08/12/2012 - 24/02/2013, Parma, Italy]
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
Available free on Cairn.info
NAPOLEONICA ARCHIVES ONLINE
Napoleonica Archives is now online!
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Thursday to Friday 10am – 3pm.
Closed Wednesday.
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