Camden Park Rd, Chislehurst, Kent, BR7 5HJ, United Kingdom
Collection Record
Name/TitleInvitation to the soiree at Versailles on August 25th 1855 at 9pm
About this objectIn August 1855, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, accompanied by their two eldest children, the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal, paid a state visit to France.
The culminating event, before their departure was the soiree at the Palace of Versailles.
There had been nothing like it since the reign of Louis XVl in the 1780's. There was music and dancing, fireworks and food. The illuminations and the moonlight turned the palace and grounds into a magical world of reflections and beauty. Queen Victoria's journal reveals how impressed she was by the magnificence of the occassion.
A ticket to attend was highly prized and an indication of one's social significance. The invitation, was issued and signed by the Grand Chamberlain, the duc of Bassano, on behalf of the Emperor.
It also contained the embossed seal (top left) of the Imperial Household, to help prevent fraud, because there was such desire to attend.
The invitation is a rare survivial in itself, compounded by the fact that the holder was supposed to hand it in on arrival, (as stated at the bottom of the card).
The duc de Bassano (1803 -1898) was not a time-server, but rather an ultra-loyal Bonapartist. He followed the Imperial family into exile, becoming Master of the Household at Camden Place, and later at Farnborough Hill.
MakerUnknown
Date Made1855
PeriodThe Second Empire
Place MadeParis, France
Medium and MaterialsPrinted on green card
Style and IconographyTicket
Inscription and MarksEmbossed with the seal of the Imperial Household
Signed by duc de Bassano
TechniquePrinted ticket
Measurements4.75 ins x 6 ins (12.06 cms x 15.24 cms)
Subject and Association Keywords1855 Royal visiits
Subject and Association KeywordsThe Life and Times of Napoleon lll
Subject and Association KeywordsEmperor Napoleon III
