Camden Park Rd, Chislehurst, Kent, BR7 5HJ, United Kingdom
Collection Record
Name/TitleNapoleon's song - Badinguet's lament
About this objectBadinguet was the workman's identity adopted by Louis Napoleon when he escaped from the Castle of Ham in 1846.
A central caricature depicts Napoleon lll as a chain smoker, as an organ grinder with the Prince Imperial (picking his nose) holding an inverted soldier's cap to collect coins from the public. A scrawny eagle sits on the organ.
The image is surrounded by 32 verses of a song to the tune Fualdes. The song was the most famous lament of 19th century France but started life in the previous century as a more sombre military air. It was parodied during the French Revolution of 1789 and by this time, 1870/71, had become a sort of burlesque with reference to Napoleon's life story.
MakerAndre Gill
Maker RoleArtist
MakerVallee
Maker RolePrinter
Date Made 1870 -1871
PeriodPost 2nd Empire and the beginning of the 3rd Republic
Place MadeParis, France
Medium and MaterialsHand coloured process engraving
Style and Iconographysatirical caricature
Style and Iconographysong
Inscription and MarksSigned by Gill
TechniquePrint from an engraving
Measurements13.5 ins x 19.25 ins (34.3 cms x 48.9 cms)
Subject and Association KeywordsBadinguet
Subject and Association KeywordsEmperor Napoleon III
Subject and Association KeywordsThe Prince Imperial
Subject and Association KeywordsThe Life and Times of Napoleon lll
Subject and Association KeywordsThe Imperial family
Subject and Association KeywordsEvents of 1870 in France,
