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THIS MONTH'S ARTICLE
Bust of Napoleon I, by Jean-Antoine Houdon
It was in 1806 that Houdon created this magnificent terracotta bust of Napoleon (taken from life). This representation, in the form of a herm, portrays the emperor as if he were an ancient Caesar or a Greek statesman, firmly the tradition of the rediscovery of antiquity in the Neoclassical style.
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS AGO
Rue Bergère was the first road in Paris to be covered with asphalt. The Paris authorities had begun covering the pavements in bitumen in 1830, and little by little they began to extend the project to the roads.
The chemist Berthelot managed to create methyl alcohol, making a synthesis of carbon and hydrogen using an elecgtric arc. In other words, instead of analysing a substance and breaking it down into its constituent parts, the first principles of chemistry, Berthelot opened a new trend by performing the opposite process, namely, creating a composition by combining its constituent parts. Thus organic chemistry was born.
Son of a poor doctor, Marcelin Berthelot (1827-1907) won a place to study general philosophy in 1846 before turning towards the study of chemistry and becoming a Préparateur for Balard at the Collège de France. Doctor of science in 1854, he was appointed professor of organic chemistry at the École supérieure de pharmacie in 1859, and he was the first to hold the newly created chair of organic chemistry at the Collège de France. He entered the Académie des sciences in 1873 and he was appointed Inspector General for Higher Education in 1876 - as a result of his work the post of Maître de Conférence was created. Perpetual Senator in 1881, he participated actively in the laicisation of education, as minister of Instruction publique in Goblet's cabinet. He is buried in the Panthéon.
TWO HUNDRED YEARS AGO
On 6 Germinal, An XII (27 March, 1804), Fouché proposed a motion at the Senate inviting the First Consul "to bring his work to completion and to make it immortal, thus equalling his glory" (in other words, to become emperor).
Fouché was opposed to the life consulship but thought that the execution of the Duc d'Enghien was a proof of Napoleon's commitment to the Revolution and its principles. The motion was accepted by all but three votes, one against, by Abbé Grégoire, and two abstentions, one of which by Sieyès.
The following day Bonaparte asked the members of the Senate, who had come to report their vote to the him, for time to think about it. He promised to give his opinion "before the end of the year" (Revolutionary calendar), i.e., September 1804.
Wishing you an excellent, Napoleonic, week!
Peter Hicks
Historian and Web editor
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THIS WEEK:
What's on
- Commemoration/Day: Napoleon and the city of Graz
- Exhibition: Napoleon in Coblenz
- Workshop: University courses in Jena 1800
- Exhibition: The Albums of Napoleon III
- Commemoration: 9th annual commemorative ceremony for the anniversary of the death of the Prince Imperial
- Exhibition: Napoleon and the sea, a dream of Empire, Paris
- Exhibition: Napoleon and the Jouy Cloth
The monthly titles
- This month's book: Eugenie: The Empress and Her Empire, by Desmond Seward
- This month's painting: The destruction of l'Orient during the Battle of the Nile (Aboukir), by Georges Arnald
- This month's article: Saint Helena Miscellany, by Thierry Lentz and Peter Hicks
- In the Collectors Corner, Bust of Napoleon I, by Jean-Antoine Houdon
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