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THIS MONTH'S PAINTING
Fair by a river, by Jean-Louis Demarne (1752-1829)
Of Flemish origin, Jean-Louis Demarne made his name as an illustrator of the rustic mores of his day, concentrating on the daily life of the working classes from the Revolution to the Empire period. Taking his inspiration from the Dutch School, his exceedingly prolific output is characterised by picturesque compositions, where the artist gives himself free-range in the evocation of the colours and shades of the life of countryfolk. (K.H. trans. P.H.)
150 YEARS AGO
At the end of the autumn of 1854, the weather began to play a significant part in the Crimean War. At the beginning of October, strong gales had forced the return to France of the sailing ships, Iéna, Suffren, and Ville-de-Marseille. A serious storm, with rain, hail and severe gusts of wind on 14 November, 1854, caused the French vessels, Henri IV and Pluton, to sink in the mouth of the Kacha, whilst on the British side, 8 fully-loaded transports were lost. A collection of eyewitness accounts recently published in France gives a very clear idea of the state of the weather: "Packing cases and poles flie about like feathers in the wind. In certain places, such as on the Moulin heights, it rains men as they are blown in the void, cannon barrels start rolling on their own. In the field hospitals, roofs fall in on top of the crying wounded and the beds of the wounded and the fevered fill with water and sink into the mud." [A. Goutman, La guerre de Crimée, Editions Economica, 1995]
As is often the case, the art and experience of war leads to certain scientific advances. The experience of this severe weather was to encourage greater interest in meteorological research in France, especially at the Observatoire de Paris directed at that time by Urbain-Jean-Joseph Le Verrier (1811-1877), successor to Arago who had died on 2 October 1853.
200 YEARS AGO
"Birds in their nests agree?"
The famous family argument regarding the preparations for the coronation, when Napoleon's sisters categorically refused to carry the empress Josephine's train, is said to have taken place on 26 Brumaire, An XIII (17 November, 1804). Napoleon ceded on this point and chose two of Josephine's ladies-in-waiting, the dames d'honneur Madame de la Rochefoucauld and Madame de la Valette.
Rehearsal on 27 Brumaire, An XIII (18 Novembre 1804)!
"A long line of carriages belonging to the emperor's household yeasterday morning travelled the length of rue Notre-Dame, turned left of the Parvis in front of Notre-Dame, and headed towards the administrative buildings of the Hospices Civils. The carriages then entered the cloisters (made a great deal wider because of certain demolition work) and circumvented the rotonda recently erected behind Notre-Dame, going to park, some on the Pont de la Cité and other in various places near the île Saint-Louis. There were about forty of these carriages, each harnessed to six horses. Two carriages represented those of the emperor and the empress; one was pulled by six "isabelle" [golden with black feet and mane, ed.] horses of the most remarkable beauty; the other was drawn by eight superb gray-dappled horses. [...] This cortege was a sort of rehearsal which the coachmen and other drivers in the procession thought useful, in order to check the vehicles and also to get the measure of the route so as not to be troubled on the day of the coronation itself...". A wise precaution as it turned out!
Gazette de France, 29 Brumaire, An XIII
Wishing you an excellent, Napoleonic, week!
Peter Hicks
mailto:peter@napoleon.org
Historian and Web editor
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THIS WEEK:
Snippets
- Creation of an association called 'Route Bonaparte'
Press review
- BBC Listener's query (and reply!) concerning British veterans during the Napoleonic period
Just published
- The Enemy at Trafalgar, by Edward Fraser, new introduction by Marianne Czisnik and Michael Nash
- A Social History of the Navy, 1793-1815, by Michael Lewis
- Empire adrift, by Patrick Wilcken
What's on
- Exhibition: James Gillray, New York Public Library, US
- Exhibition: Decoration in the Age of Napoleon: Empire Elegance Versus Regency Refinement, New York Public Library, US
- Re-enactment: The Battle of the Three Emperors 2004 - Battle of Austerlitz, Czech Republic
- Exhibition: The Treasures of the Fondation Napoléon, Paris, France
- Conference: International Conference: Visions of Napoleon's European politique, Paris, France
- Study Day: Napoleon and Rome, Rome, Italy
- Exhibition: Images of the coronation of the Emperor Napoleon, Paris, France
The monthly titles
- This month's book: The Russian Officer Corps of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars 1792-1815, by Alexander Mikaberidze
- This month's painting: Fair by a river, by Jean-Louis Demarne
- This month's article: Beethoven, Byron, and Bonaparte - part 2, by John Clubbe
- In the Collectors Corner, Letter from Napoleon to Champagny, Minister for Foreign Affairs, 7 Sept., 1807
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