I have just finished reading "The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B", the first book in a trilogy, by author Sandra Gulland. So surprisingly, my N post for Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday meme this week is not about Normandy but Napoleon (Bonaparte).My friend Sarah @ Hyacinths For the Soul has written several wonderful blogs about these books, read her Alphabe-Thursday J post here.
Of course I couldn't wait to read the books myself and promptly ordered them from Amazon.
We meet Napoleon towards the end of the book, in a paragraph entitled "In which I am introduced to a strange little man". Josephine was not impressed by the Corsican soldier, it was certainly not love at first sight.
She describes him thus: "a curious looking man with short legs and a big head. The man was remarkable. His long, limp hair hung down around his ears in a sorry attempt at fashion. His skin was sallow and his figure so thin his threadbare breeches seemed to hang. His eyes were large, grey in colour, striking. His teeth were good (Josephine's were not!) But there was an intensity in his expression that forbade levity".
I don't think it will spoil the story for you if I said that shortly after they met they were wed?
During the time that Mr B and I were refurbishing this big old house one of our favourite haunts was the Hotel de Vente in Bayeux where we purchased many vintage/antique items. One of my favourites was this print of an etching of Napoleon as Emperor.
I remember that Maître (the auctioneer) was very surprised and not too happy that his predominantly French audience was allowing an English man to acquire a portrait of Napoleon. Perhaps the Duke of Wellington and the memory of the Battle of Waterloo still lingered on? Click on the link to find out why it might be hard to forget.
I digress........... the portrait enjoys pride of place on the wall at the turn of the staircase and your eye is drawn to it every time you enter the house through the front doors.Another very early purchase, after moving to France, this time from a depot vente in Cherbourg was this pair of plates finely painted with the portraits of Josephine & the Emperor Napoleon. (Double left click on all the photos to enlarge).
I know now that they were produced at the Pouplard Beatrix faiencerie in Malicorne-sur-Sarthe sometime between 1895 -1900, sadly I sold them before I discovered that fact!!C'est la vie!
There is still time to enter my 2nd Blog Anniversary Giveaway, click here and leave a comment.
The lucky winner's name will be picked at random tomorrow, Saturday 24th April.
"Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever. - Napoleon Bonaparte.
I hope you've enjoyed my N post today, now scoot over to Mrs Matlock's classroom to see who else's name is on the register.
