Camden Park Rd, Chislehurst, Kent, BR7 5HJ, United Kingdom
Collection Record
Name/TitleAnthropomorphiic caricature of Napoleon lll
Autobiographical Portrait of His Majesty Invasion lll
About this objectThis is a hieroglyphic/anthropmorphic caricature of Napoleon lll, with a concept that has been strongly influenced by one of Napoleon l (CPCAR061). The text beneath explains the imagery. 'The head is formed by the bodies dead through his ambition. the hat by the Eagle of Boulogne, hiding in the feathers the famous piece of bacon , the uniform by a map recalling the principal humiliations and treachery which he forced France to undergo, the collar and grand sash (of the Legion d'Honneur ) by the river of blood which he made flow, the epaulette by the hand of the people which weighs down on him and by breaking the sceptre, reverses personal power, in the corner, the arms of the Empire tell their own story.
The reference to the 'Eagle of Boulogne' refers to Louis Napoleon's attempted coup in 1840 . At Gravesend -, en route, one of his fellow conspirators saw a boy on the quayside feeding a tame vulture whose party trick was to hide pieces of bacon in its feathers. As the vulture looked similar to an eagle it was taken as a lucky mascot for the expedition. It failed to bring any good fortune.
The significance of the references:
on the collar: 2nd December 1851 - Louis Napoleon's successful coup
on the epaulette: 4th September 1870 following defeat by the Prussians , the proclamation of the Republic
on the sleeve: Strasbourg - Louis Napoleon's unsuccessful coup of 1836
Boulogne - the unsuccessful coup of 1840
on the sash: Lambessa, Cayenne - French penal colonies
La Rocamarie - site of a miner's revolt in 1869, (later immortalised by Zola in 'Germinae')
on the uniform:
Menta - 1867 battle between the French and Papal forces
Mexico - unsuccessful French occupation , leading to the shooting of Emperor Maximilian in 1867
Sedan- French defeat in the early stages of the Franco Prussian War in September 1870
Reiclishiffer - French defeat in the early stages of the Franco Prussian War in August 1870
on the star : the word lache or coward
The imaginary coat-of arms includes references to locations where Napoleon was imprisoned (Ham 1840 -1846) and Wilhelmshole (1870-1871) and to other locations in the Napoleonic saga: London (exile), Boulogne and Paris (coups) and Auteuil (where his cousin Prince Piere Bonaparte shot a journalist, Victor Noir in January 1870)The motto reads 'Everything is lost except the money'.
MakerUnknown
Maker RoleArtist
MakerDessendier of Paris
Maker RolePublisher
Date Made1871
PeriodPost 2nd Empire and the beginning of the 3rd Republic
Place MadeParis, France
Medium and MaterialsColoured print on paper
Style and Iconographycaricature
Inscription and MarksNone
TechniqueLithograph
Measurements16 ins x 12.5 ins (40.6cms x 31.75 cms)
Subject and Association KeywordsThe Life and Times of Napoleon lll
Subject and Association KeywordsEmperor Napoleon III
Subject and Association KeywordsSecond French Empire
