Le Chapeau de Mitterand (The President’s Hat). Many people are defined by their hat. Take Napoleon, for example. Last month, on 19 November 2023, one of Napoleon Bonaparte’s black bicorne (two-cornered) hats – with a red, white, and blue cockade (the ribboned rosette of official office) – sold for a record price of nearly twoContinue reading “Le Chapeau de Mitterand (The President’s Hat) “
Tag Archives: Napoleon
Rueil-Malmaison – home of Napoleon and Josephine and the Imperial Jubilee
Rueil-Malmaison – home of Napoleon and Josephine and the Imperial Jubilee. Commune Rueil-Malmaison is the hometown of General Napoleon Bonaparte before he became Emperor of France. He married his first wife Josephine de Beauharnais in 1796. She bought the Château de Malmaison in Rueil-Malmaison in 1799, a run-down manor house on 150 acres of woodsContinue reading “Rueil-Malmaison – home of Napoleon and Josephine and the Imperial Jubilee”
Les Invalides – cleaning of the north facade in progress
Les Invalides – cleaning of the north facade in progress. The facade of Les Invalides in the 7th arrondissement of Paris is being cleaned. Cleaning is still in progress with a third of the north facade completed. Les Invalides is a building complex containing several museums and monuments, including the Army Museum. The north facadeContinue reading “Les Invalides – cleaning of the north facade in progress”
Napoléon Bonaparte’s love story
Napoléon Bonaparte’s love story. To commemorate 200 years since the death of Napoléon Bonaparte (1769-1821), Emperor Napoléon I of France, this year, I read his love story again. In 1795, at 26 years of age, before he become Emperor, Napoléon Bonaparte wrote a short story, a novella, called Clisson and Eugenie: A Love Story. The 2007 edition includes anContinue reading “Napoléon Bonaparte’s love story”
2021 Napoléon Season: bicentenary of his death
2021 Napoléon Season: bicentenary of his death. To commemorate the bicentenary–200 years–since the death of Napoléon Bonaparte (1769-1821), Emperor Napoléon I of France, there are a number of exhibitions and events under the banner of the “2021 Napoléon Season.” These include a large exhibition at La Villette in Paris on Napoleon from 14 April to 19 SeptemberContinue reading “2021 Napoléon Season: bicentenary of his death”
The buzz of bees in Paris
The buzz of bees in Paris. Why did Napoleon love bees? He loved them so much that the bee became his signature emblem. It is said that bees were his symbol of tenacity. But bees are now very much a Parisian motif. Scientists from the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA-France) – the National InstituteContinue reading “The buzz of bees in Paris”