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RESTORATIONS?
This week's letter brings with it reflexion on what it means to restore. Restoration of Napoleonic heritage on the one hand, and the restoring of monarchical Europe in the aftermath of Empire on the other. The former centres on the recent refurbishment of the gate at the Legion of Honour's educational establishment for girls in the outskirts of Paris and also the re-structuring of the small but important museum at Arcole in northern Italy (it now has a library, study room and multi-media facilities). The latter is related to this month's book on the French side, which turns around the complexities of the absence of Napoleon and the sense of 'work in progress' or project (rather than state of affairs) inherent in the return of the anciens régimes (plural) to continental Europe and the interference engendered by Revolutionary/Republican intentions. As we restore the Légion d'honneur and the iconic episode at Arcole bridge, we are re-highlighting the memory symbols and stimulating reflexion on the place of the Napoleonic episode in our lives today. As the post-Napoleonic Restoration shows, bringing the past back is never straightforward.
Peter Hicks
Head of International affairs at the Fondation Napoléon
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BOOK OF THE MONTH > EYEWITNESS IN THE CRIMEA, THE CRIMEAN WAR LETTERS OF LT COL. GEORGE FREDERICK DALLAS
This is a new print of Michael Hargreave Mawson's 2001 edition of the 137 letters written by his ancestor, the Scot George Frederick Dallas, from 1854 to 1856 while on active service during the Crimean War. Much more than a family archive, this correspondance gives us a gripping account of the war as well as reflecting the views, fears and hopes of a career infantry officer of the mid-nineteenth century.
CRIMEAN WAR PHOTOGRAPHY > It is interesting to compare this frank eye-witness account with the visual record of the same war – the first ever example of war photography - made by Roger Fenton from March to June 1855 (external link). Fenton was employed by the British government, to record the participants and landscapes of the campaign. Despite being a selective representation of a war which became infamously known for its government and military mismanagement – no actual battles or wounded men are shown – it is a fascinating glimpse into the conditions of that campaign.
Our French book this month is Rien appris, rien oublié? Les restaurations dans l'Europe postnapoléoniennes (1814-1830)
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WILLIAM SIMPSON, CRIMEAN WAR ARTIST
In 1854, shortly after the outbreak of the Crimean War, George Frederick Dallas's fellow countryman, William Simpson an apprentice lithographer working in London was commissioned to create a drawing of the city of Sebastopol under siege. Unable to find any source material to work from, as no British artist had ever been to Sebastopol to sketch it first-hand, Simpson expressed his desire to travel to the Crimea. Shortly after, the lithography firm Colnaghi and Co. invited Simpson to do so and the result is a remarkable collection of sketches with abundant explanatory notes, which served as preparatory studies for a portfolio which would later be published as The Seat of the War in the East. Simpson's entire collection of sketches (as well other material he collected – maps, newspaper cuttings and around 50 photographs - relating to the Crimean War) was bought by the Victoria and Albert Museum from his widow in 1900. The album has recently been catalogued by Alex Jones who was “immediately struck by Simpson's dedication to meticulously documenting the material he collected, and preserving it for future generations”: The album, he says, “is a fantastic resource for anyone with an interest in the Crimean War or early war correspondence”. [image: detail from ‘The ground of the light cavalry charge' by William Simpson, Crimea, c.1855 ©Victoria and Albert Museum].
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RESTORATION WORK AT THE MAISON D'EDUCATION DE LA LEGION D'HONNEUR
In 1809 Napoleon signed the decree setting up the second boarding school for the orphaned daughters of the recipients of the Legion d'Honneur in the abbey of Saint-Denis north of Paris (which had been rebuilt in the 18th century on the site of the former medieval abbey).
Over the last three years several parts of this group of buildings (which, together with its park, are classed as historic monuments since 1927) have already been restored to their former glory: the cloister gate (realised in the early 18th century by the master iron-worker Pierre Denis); the reception rooms of the wing known as the "aile d'intendance” (including the removal of an intermediate floor added in the late 19th-century); and the main entrance (“Portail d'honneur”) dating from 1789. The restoration work continues later this year with the façade of the North Wing (completed in 1754 and not touched since) situated directly opposite the famous Basilica of Saint-Denis, and the exceptional iron-work banisters of the Great Staircase (also by Pierre Denis). The whole project should be completed in late 2017. To have an idea of the work involved, take a look at this pdf (in French) which includes some detailed photographs.
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RENOVATION OF NAPOLEONIC MUSEUM IN ARCOLE, ITALY
The Museo Gustavo Alberto Antonelli, founded in Arcole by the eponymous architect in 1982, has had a facelift. On Saturday 30 April, locals gathered to view the results of the restoration work, which included the addition of a new structure adjacent to the chapel that housed the original Napoleon museum at Arcole. The new room houses material related to the history of Arcole over the last 2,000 years. However, in keeping with the initial Napoleonic foundation, a Napoleonic library (with books from Bishop Pietro Giacomo Nonis's collection) and a multi-media learning space have also been introduced.
LAST DAYS > EXHIBITIONS
> Vigée Le Brun: Woman Artist in Revolutionary France, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA until 15 May.
> Franceschini-Pietri, Napoleon III's secretary Palais Fesch, Ajaccio, Corsica until 9 May.
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NAPOLEON AND THE ISLAND OF PIANOSA
“Napoleone e l'isola di Pianosa” a book by Ilaria Monti will be presented at the Centro Culturale De Laugier at the Archivio Storico on Elba (Italy) on 7 May at 4pm. The book, which is a valuable tool for understanding the island of Pianosa's Napoleonic era history, is based on the transcription and translation of a wide range of printed documents and manuscripts - both in Italian and French - to be found in the Elba Archivio Storico. The presentation will be followed by a visit of the town's archives where there is an exhibition of documents and memorabilia relating to Napoleonic Elba. On the following day there will be a trip to Pianosa in the footsteps of Napoleon, organised by the Association for the Defense of the Island of Pianosa (Associazione per la Difesa dell'Isola di Pianosa). More information here (external link in Italian).
Wishing you an excellent Napoleonic week!
Peter Hicks and Rebecca Young
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN No. 801, 6 - 12 May 2016
Interested in the work of the Fondation Napoléon? Why not participate, either generally or towards a specific project, by making a donation?
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EVENT > NAPOLÉON À SAINTE-HÉLÈNE. LA CONQUÊTE DE LA MÉMOIRE (Napoleon on St Helena, His fight for his Story), exhibition at the Musée de l'Armée in Paris (France) until 24/07/2016
> Short presentation of the exhibition in English on napoleon.org
> Detailed presentation of the exhibition in French - on the website of the Musée de l'Armée
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napoleon.org - related content:
WHATS ON (see our website for all events)
Exhibitions
- A Revolutionary Museum: Alexandre Lenoir's Museum of French Monuments
The Louvre, Paris, FR [7/4/2016-4/7/2016]
- Rosa Bonheur and her family: Three Generations of Artists, Port-Royal des Champs, Paris region, FR [07/04/2016 - 25/07/2016]
- Pierre-Paul Prud'hon, Château de Chantilly, FR [23/3/206-26/6/2016]
- L'épopée fantastique, 1820-1920, cycles et motos, Château de Compiègne, FR [8/4/2016 – 25/7/2016]
- High Society: The Portraits of Franz X. Winterhalter, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, USA [17/04/2016-14/08/2016]
- Fashion forward: three centuries of fashion, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, FR [07/04/2016- 14/08/2016]
- Napoléon vu par Abel Gance. La séquence corse, Maison Bonaparte, Ajaccio, Corsica [31/03/2016 - 03/07/2016]
- Carrosses à Marmottan, Bibliothèque Marmotton, Paris, FR [23/03/2016 - 30/07/2016]
- Hubert Robert (1733–1808) A Visionary Painter, Musée du Louvre, Paris, FR [09/03/2016 - 30/05/2016]
- Easy Virtue. Prostitution in French Art, 1850-1910, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, NL [19/02/2016 - 19/06/2016]
- The art of the superfluous, Paris, the decorative arts and fashion, Archives de Paris, FR [08/02/2016 - 03/06/2016]
- Vigée Le Brun: Woman Artist in Revolutionary France, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA [15/02/2016 - 15/05/2016] LAST DAYS
- Franceschini-Pietri, Napoleon III's secretary Palais Fesch, Ajaccio , Corsica [27/11/2015 - 09/05/2016]LAST DAYS
Concerts
- Cycle "Napoléon à Sainte-Hélène. A la conquête de la mémoire", Les Invalides, Paris, FR [07/04/2016 - 20/06/2016]
SEEN ON THE WEB
- Journal thought to be from Napoleonic Wars uncovered in Hobart second-hand bookshop
- The Brontës at war: how Charlotte and Branwell brought Waterloo into their drawing room
THE BIBLIOTHÈQUE MARTIAL-LAPEYRE FONDATION NAPOLEON LIBRARY
The library is normally open on Mondays and Tuesdays from 1pm to 6pm and on Thursdays and Fridays from 10am to 3pm. It is closed on Wednesdays.
Online database catalogue
Digital Library
Contact
NAPOLEONICA LES ARCHIVES
Site of digitised Napoleonic archival material:
The working papers or 'imprimés' of the Napoleonic Conseil d'Etat, the correspondence of Vivant Denon, etc.
http://www.napoleonica.org
Contact: napoleonica@napoleon.org
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
Contact: napoleonicalarevue@napoleon.org
The Fondation Napoléon's Institutional website:
www.fondationnapoleon.org
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