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In this week's letter...
we have a feast of Napoleonic happenings. First of all is some exciting news about the furniture from Longwood House, which has now been unpacked... we even have some photos! Next is a focus on all of the resources available for young Napoleonic enthusiasts in the Kids' Corner section of napoleon.org.
This week also marks 199 years since the death of the Empress Josephine, and in keeping with this we bring you a selection of paintings of her, as well as details of a mass to be held in her honour. Josephine is not the only Bonaparte to feature in the news this week; Joseph Bonaparte has been making headlines thanks to a letter by him discovered in the archives at Northwestern University, of which there's more below. We also have news of a conference about the Paris Salon that's taking place, an update on the events commemorating the Battle of Leipzig, and a talk by Marie-Pierre Rey at the Fondation. As usual, you'll also find interesting tidbits garnered from the web this week in Seen on the Web, as well as an interview with Thierry Lentz which appeared in the German newspaper Die Zeit in our Press Review section. Enjoy!
Ready for restoration
The furniture from Longwood House which arrived in France on 15 May has now been unpacked and is in the hands of specialists in preparation for the restoration. Many working groups will join together in the coming weeks to decide the steps to be taken, launch calls for offers and choose those responsible for the restoration. It will be two and a half years before they will be presented to the public as part of an exhibition about Napoleon on St Helena, but to give you a taste, here are some photos on our facebook page, taken when the furniture was unpacked. Objects that stand out are the bath in which the captive Napoleon spent a lot of time, a writing desk which was in his bedroom, and one of the globes that was on the veranda.
Thierry Lentz, Director of the Fondation Napoléon.
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Kids' Corner
Don't forget, there are also lots of activities on our website for younger readers.
For the very young, we have an animation of games children played at the beginning of the 19th century, as well as pictures to print out and colour-in.
Children aged six and over can discover all sorts of information about Napoleon I's life with the help of a family tree, and for those aged ten and older, we have articles about the Bonaparte dynasty, the role of the Consulate and the Empire and view maps of the journeys made by Napoleon I and Napoleon III all over Europe.
We also have quizzes, detailed information sheets on Napo Factfiles and of course a selection of Napoleonic masterpieces from the Fondation Napoléon collection which will interest those aged 7 to … 107!
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Josephine's Death
This week marks the anniversary of the death of the Empress Josephine. Here's Prudhon's famous painting of her at the park of the Malmaison, as well as a sketch of her signing the marriage annulment. 23 June is also the Empress' birthday, and here's an article from History Today which gives a brief biography of her. Readers may also be interested in this excellent biography of Josephine by the American historian Frances Mossiker.
To commemorate the Empress, there will be a mass held at the church Saint-Pierre Saint-Paul, Reuil-Malmaison (France) on 3 June at 7pm in the presence of the Princess Napoleon.
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What's On
Leipzig: the Dual Anniversary, Leipzig, Germany
To mark the bicentenary of the Battle of Leipzig and the centenary of the inauguration of the statue commemorating the battle, the German city of Leipzig is holding a series of events, exhibitions and reenactments. Don't forget to keep checking the page as new events are added!
Cercle d'Etudes de la Fondation Napoléon, Paris, France
As part of its series of talks, the Fondation Napoléon will host Marie-Pierre Rey, the winner of this year's history prize, who will be speaking (in French) on the topic of Quoi de neuf sur la campagne de Russie? (Anything new about the Russian Campaign). More information and how to book a place here (in French).
Paris Fine Art Salon, 1791 - 1881, Conference at the University of Exeter, UK
The Paris Fine Art Salon dominated French artistic life throughout the nineteenth century.This three-day conference at the University of Exeter will coincide with the completion of a three-year, AHRC–funded project, entitled "Painting for the Salon? The French State, Artists and Academy, 1830-1852".
Human Voices of the Napoleonic Wars
We're delighted to announce the online publication of a new blog, entitled Human Voices of the Napoleonic Wars. The aim of the blog is to bring together sources from all over Europe that detail the wartime experience of men and women during the Napoleonic wars, thus creating a rich resource for Napoleonic historians.
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Letters from America
Last week, Northwestern University (USA) gave to the French consul in Chicago a part of its archives containing French documents: 250 in total. Amongst them are two letters; one from Joseph Bonaparte and the other from the future Napoleon III. These documents will all be returned to France. The letter from Joseph is dated 1792. You can read the whole story here. We also have two articles from Napoleonica.La Revue about Joseph Bonaparte: one (in French) detailing three other letters that have been recently discovered, and the other focussing on Joseph's role in later life.
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200 Years Ago
An Armsitice is Signed
On 4 June 1813, an armistice agreement was signed between France and the Allies, following Austria's proposal of mediation with France. Metternich engaged in talks with Napoleon about a possible short-term peace. Initially Napoleon had wanted to negotiate with the Russians directly, but when Alexander rejected this Napoleon met with Austrian officials. His reasoning for the armistice was a pressing need to bring order to his cavalry, as well as mounting sick lists and the need to concentrate troops and create fortified, strong bases in order to secure the campaign. It was, however, a decision Napoleon would live to regret.
150 Years Ago
The International Postal Conference
The first International Postal Conference was held in Paris between May and June 1863. The conference was organised by the US Postmaster General, Montgomery Blair, and was intended to help solve some of the problems encountered in America in regards to the heterogeneity of European postal services which recognised nothing but bilateral agreements with the USA; there were discrepancies in the taxation of letters damaged in international exchanges. Since the 1840s and the boom in communications the idea of unity of stamp prices was in fashion. This first international meeting of spokespeople from the various postal services did not, however, yield the longed-for result. It was not until 1874 and the creation of the Universal Postal Union, whose official language was French, that the project was cemented. The organisation is still in operation today as part of the UN.
Wishing you an excellent "Napoleonic" week,
Peter Hicks and Andrew Miles
Historians and web editors
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N0. 673, 30 MAY- 6 JUNE 2013
Interested in the work of the Fondation Napoléon? Why not participate, either generally or in a specific project, by making a donation ?
© 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
Follow us on Facebook and on Twitter !
'NAPOLEON ET L'EUROPE' AT THE MUSEE DE L'ARMEE
- Visiting the exhibition? Buy your tickets online.
napoleon.org-related content:
- Painting of the Month, from the exhibition: Napoleon's Consecration or Coronation
- Interview with E. Robbe, Director of the Exhibition
- Object of the Month, from the exhibtion: Painted Target depicting the Preliminaries of the Peace Negotiations concluded at Leoben in Styria, 1797
- Publications from the exhibition: Napoléon et l'Europe Exhibition Catalogue
MAGAZINE
Publication
- Napoleon and Josephine: the Biography of a Marriage, by Frances Mossiker
Seen on the web (external links)
- Cutty Sark's Captain's Gig in No.1 Basin by HMS Victory
- Napoleon and the Idéologues
- In search of a Waterloo soldier
Press Review
- Seit der Kongress tanzte, (in German) an interview with Thierry Lentz in Die Zeit.
- Review: Steam-Powered Knowledge: William Chambers and the Business of Publishing, 1820-1860
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.
Festivals
- Leipzig: The Dual Anniversary [Leipzig, Germany 01/03/2013 - 20/10/2013]
Conferences
- The Paris Fine Arts Salon, 1791-1881 [Exeter, UK 04/09/2013 - 06/09/2013]
NAPOLEONICA.LA REVUE
Available free on Cairn.info
NAPOLEONICA ARCHIVES ONLINE
Napoleonica Archives is now online!
THE BIBLIOTHÈQUE MARTIAL-LAPEYRE FONDA T ION NAPOLEON LIBRARY
The new library opening hours are:
Monday and Tuesday 1pm – 6pm and
Thursday to Friday 10am – 3pm.
Closed Wednesday.
Online catalogue
Digital Library
Contact
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