Camden Park Rd, Chislehurst, Kent, BR7 5HJ, United Kingdom
Collection Record
Name/TitleNapoleon lll (Badinguet) The Coward
About this objectBadinguet, the identity assumed by Louis Napoleon when he escaped from the Castle of Ham in 1846.
Napoleon is depicted as a ruffian, holding a blade, but wearing a hat marked 'coward'. His legs are chained together and he is standing on a barrel of sauerkraut, decorated with a pickle haube helmet - both referring to his captivity by the Prussians. He also has a syringe under his arm, symbolising his weakness and ill health especially haemorrhoids. The reference to St Helena refers to the island where his uncle Napoleon Bonaparte was held captive.
MakerUnknown
Maker RoleArtist
MakerGrognet
Maker RolePublisher
Date Made September1870 - March1871
PeriodDuring imprisonment after defeat at Sedan
Place MadeParis, France
Medium and MaterialsHand coloured lithograph
Style and Iconographysatirical caricature
TechniqueSatirical Lithograph, hand coloured
Measurements15.25 ins x 11 ins (38.7 cms x 27.9 cms)
Subject and Association KeywordsBadinguet
Subject and Association KeywordsEmperor Napoleon III
Subject and Association KeywordsSedan
Subject and Association KeywordsThe Life and Times of Napoleon lll
Subject and Association KeywordsEvents of 1870 in France,
