Stuff - Napoleon Exhibit

Earlier in the month, I went to see a traveling exhibit at the old U.S. Mint about Napoleon. I am starting to wonder more about his life and will probably start reading more biographies about him. The last thing that I read was about his exploits in Russia from this work.

There were many elaborate items on display but I was attracted to mundane ones. On the left is a doddle that Napoleon made. This is a rare find, because his servants threw most scribbles out.

As a bibliophile, I really envied Josephine's books.

Another amazing item to survive was this Watercolor of Imperial Emblem; it's so vibrant after all these years.

Some of my fellow bloggers read historical fiction and would love to go back to those times. Not me. I like living in this century. I like having clean clothes and being able to take a shower or bath everyday. I really looked closely at General Bertrand's breeches; they looks dirty, even though I know that they have been washed.

I was surprised to see how plain Napoleon's campaign bed was. I expected something fancier.

For some reason, I had the idea that Napoleon lived in a cave in his final exile. But, his home there was impressive. The worst part of the imprisonment was that he was really bored. For a man of action, reading and writing wasn't enough for him. Click here for the painting. Napoleon's home on St. Helena

It's good to get my head out of books and see these items. I managed to learn a lot in a nice environment.

After this stop, all the items go back to the owners. So, this on-line gallery is your only chance to see the exhibit.