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THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN n° 713, 9-15 MAY, 2014
TAKING ANOTHER LOOK
An intense but mischievous gaze, the trace of a smile, a calm sense of maturity… Our “Painting of the Month” this month is a portrait of a young Letizia Bonaparte, and the mysterious mix of expressions she is shown with here well reflect the strange history of this work: a retrospective portrait of Madame Mère in her youth, depicting as a girl someone who only entered the public spotlight as a woman of mature years. Part of the collection of the Musée National de la Maison Bonaparte in Ajaccio, this portrait is at the heart of an exhibition that charts the destiny of the Bonapartes through twelve objects: although some of these objects are now little known or rarely studied, they are known to have been at the centre of the Bonapartes' daily life in Corsica.
This exhibition sheds light on yet another piece of the historical puzzle and our understanding of it. It is part of the rich wealth of material that makes up our weekly Bulletin: the exhibitions, the commemorations and re-enactments, the academic research, the publications, the conferences, the museological events and international exchanges… At every step along the way, there's an opportunity to view Napoleon and his history through a new lens, to discover these extraordinary events through a different prism.
Happy reading,
Irène Delage
Head of Documentation
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PAINTING OF THE MONTH > PORTRAIT OF LETIZIA BONAPARTE AS A YOUNG WOMAN
This month's painting, a retrospective portrait of Letizia Bonaparte as a young woman, puts Madame Mère in a completely different light. With pink lips, bright eyes and blushing complexion, this is Letizia in the first flush of youth. Read more about this enigmatic portrait here, or – if you're in Corsica – see it yourself on display at the Musée National de la Maison Bonaparte until 29 June. (And if you are lucky enough to be heading to Corsica, why not check out our Napoleonic travel guide to the island?!)
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EUROPEAN NIGHT OF MUSEUMS > 17th MAY 2014
On the night of 17th-18th May, museums and cultural institutions across Europe will open their doors late into the night as part of the European Night of Museums (known as La Nuit des Musées in France, Museums at Night in the UK…) Museums combine the late opening with special installations, activities and performances, as well as free entry, so be sure not miss out. The Musée de l'Armée at Invalides and the Musée Napoléon Ier in Brienne-le-Château are taking part…
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THE INTERNATIONAL NAPOLEONIC SOCIETY'S 12TH CONFERENCE APPROACHES – IN HAVANA, CUBA!
Between 7 and 11 July, the International Napoleonic Society will hold its twelfth congress in Havana, Cuba. The theme for this year's congress is "Napoleon and Revolutions around the World", and it promises to be a truly international event, with expert speakers from around the world, a reception in the French ambassador's residence, and a gala at the Museo Napoléonico.
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A BUSY NAPOLEONIC WEEK… CAPTURED ON CAMERA
It's been an incredibly busy Napoleonic week, with the re-enactment of Napoleon's arrival on the island of Elba on May 4th, and commemorations in Paris and Saint Helena for the 193rd anniversary of the Emperor's death on May 5th. But don't worry if you missed any of these extraordinary events – we've brought together all the photographs we could find here and here. Happy viewing!
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RESTORATION OF THE IMPERIAL THEATRE AT FONTAINEBLEAU
On 30 April, the newly restored Imperial Theatre at the Château de Fontainebleau was officially inaugurated after seven years of major works. To mark this huge achievement in conservation, the Château de Fontainebleau has published this dossier documenting the works undertaken (external link), which includes some stunning photographs of the Second Empire theatre before and after its restoration…
DIGITAL LIBRARY > NAPOLEON IN HIS OWN DEFENCE
This week's offering from the Fondation Napoléon's Digital Library is Clement Shorter's 1910 Napoleon in his own Defence, which unites the Emperor's letters from Saint Helena with an account of the Emperor on Saint Helena by celebrated wit Theodore Hook. You can read more about Shorter – who was pretty interesting in his own right – in our biography of him.
CONFERENCE IN ENGLISH AT THE FONDATION NAPOLEON > “NAPOLEON'S GHOST AND THE HAUNTING OF THE ITALIAN CAMPAIGN OF 1859”
On 22 May, Frederick Schneid will speak at the Fondation Napoléon in English on “The Ghost of Napoleon and the Haunting of the Italian Campaign of 1859.” In his lecture, Professor Schneid will discuss the spectre of Napoleon and his dazzling first campaign in Italy, exploring how his enormous success haunted the strategies and actions of all sides during the early stages of Italian unification. To reserve a place for this exciting event, please email Brigitte Claré or telephone the Fondation on 01 56 43 46 00. Spaces are limited!
200 YEARS AGO > ELBA: THE BEGINNINGS OF AN IMPERIAL ADMINISTRATION
Napoleon's arrival on Elba on 4 May 1814 and the warm reception he received from the islanders did much to lift his spirits, which had been very low throughout his tumultuous journey through France. True to his nature, he threw himself into his work, and from 7 May began reorganising his new lands. On 10 May, he drew up the military organisation of his territory, created a “war office” and founded a hospital. On 22 May, he finalised the creation of his Guard and navy. By 5 June he had organised their supplies, and the first month of his exile at I Mulini had already passed….
150 YEARS AGO > FORGOTTEN ELBA
It seems surprising to us today, but it would appear that in 1864 there was no desire to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Napoleon's arrival on Elba, whether by acts of memory or in publications. The Moniteur for these weeks makes no mention of events fifty years earlier. And whilst Louis Simonin did publish a report on his July visit to the island in 1864 in La revue des deux mondes, "L'île d'Elbe et ses mines de fer", (in French), his interests were largely mineralogical, and he makes no mention of the half century anniversary. Just scanning our bibliography of digital documents relating to the Elba episode shows that only three of them were published during Louis-Napoléon's time as head of state, none of which in 1864. And only two of those are historical, the Adieux de N. Bonaparte à la France et à l'Europe, laissés en manuscrit à l'île d'Elbe, à son départ, en 1815... (1848) being a political pamphlet purporting to be a text written by Napoleon on Elba but which was in fact a republican tract designed to denigrate Louis-Napoleon upon his accession to the position of President. The other two documents date from the very end of the Second Empire regime, namely Amédée Pichot's Napoléon à l'île d'Elbe: Chronique des événements de 1814 et 1815, d'après le Journal du colonel sir Neil Campbell… (1873) and the Correspondance de Napoléon I (the Elban volumes being 27 and 32, both appearing in 1869). Only on the centenary of the Napoleonic episode, it would appear, did authors attempt to surf the commemorative wave.
Wishing you an excellent "Napoleonic" week,
Peter Hicks and Francesca Whitlum-Cooper
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N° 713, 9-15 MAY, 2014
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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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EVENTS
A selection of events taking place now or in the coming weeks, taken from our What's on listings.
WHAT'S ON
- Exhibition "Joséphine" at the Luxembourg Museum in Paris [12/03/2014 - 29/06/2014]
- Conference at the Biblioteca Comunale de Canino [18 May 2014]
- Frederick Schneid "Napoleon's Ghost", at the Fondation Napoléon [22 May 2014]
- Boris Nicaise to speak at the Musée Wellington [27 May 2014]
- Alexander Mikaberidze, "Napoleon as a Global Figure" at the Fondation Napoléon [28 May 2014]
PRESS REVIEW
- “In Focus: The Vendôme Column, 1871”
JUST PUBLISHED
- ROBERTS, Jerry, The British Raid on Essex: The Forgotten Battle of the War of 1812, Wesleyan University Press, 2014
SEEN ON THE WEB
- Institut d'histoire de la Révolution Française make 20,047 revolutionary decrees available and searchable online
- New from the BBC - The French Revolution: Tearing up History
- Project Hougoumont – saving one of Waterloo's most important sites
- Braine-l'Alleud taking Michelin to court for situating the Lion's Mount in Waterloo
- Irish soldiers in the continental service
- Five quotes about Cinco de Mayo - for more on Cinco de Maya, have a look at our article!
WAR OF 1812
- UC Davis Professor wins second Pulitzer for book about slavery and 1812
- Mystery cannon finds home in Plattsburgh War of 1812 Museum
- $500,000 campaign to restore a War of 1812 fort on Mackinac Island, Michigan
- New addition to the 1812 Binational Peace Garden Trail network
- Maryland's 1813 “Warrior Princess”
- May 10, burning of the ships commemoration in Essex, Massachusetts
- May 10, bicentennial walking tour of the Battle of Oswego, New York
- May 14, Peter Stratton to speak at Towcester & District Local History Society
- June 14, living history events in Wareham, Massachusetts
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Site of digitised Napoleonic archival material:
The working papers or 'imprimés' of the Napoleonic Conseil d'Etat, the correspondence of Vivant Denon, etc.
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NAPOLEONICA. LA REVUE
International peer-review interdisciplinary e-review on the history of the two Empires, bilingual French-English, 3 issues per year, free access.
Read the review on Cairn.info
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