Napoleon and Joséphine, A Love Story

Napoleon Bonaparte and Joséphine de Beauharnais 

~ One of the Greatest Love Stories in History ~

Vintage Postcard, dated 1908

Napoleon and Josephine were married March 9, 1796.

It's no secret that Paris has long been my favorite 

destination, and over the years I've collected 

my fair share of Napoleonic memorabilia. 

Kathryn Crisp Greeley's new book, 

THE COLLECTED TABLETOP,

advocates using one's collections to set a special table.

I decided to do just that when I selected 

Napoleonic Memorabilia 

as my topic for a CAMEO meeting.

I'm passing along this tip for 

Tutorials, Tips, and Tidbits @ Stone Gable.

When you host your next dinner party, gather up a collection 

to use as a theme.  I found it fun to see my pieces grouped 

together, and your collection will no doubt spark conversation.

Those of you who follow HFTS might remember the post I shared here about CAMEO, a small antique club of which I'm a member.  

CAMEO

Collecting Antiques and Memorabilia 

and Educating Ourselves

The structure of our small group is such that each member is responsible for presenting or arranging a presentation on a topic of interest to share with the group at one of our monthly meetings.  

~ Collecting Napoleonic Memorabilia ~

My topic of choice last spring.

Napoleon's famous N and bee motif 

show up in many of these pieces.

The pottery pieces you see in the photos 

are mostly French faience produced in the 

last part of the 19th century or the first half of the 20th century.

Small Bust of Napoleon, CA 

Dinner Plate, HenRiot Quimper

Teapot part of Garden Buddies Tea Service, unmarked

Napoleon Ivy ~ As Used By Napoleon At St. Helena ~ 1815

Wedgwood Etruria England

I only have but one demi-tasse cup and saucer in this lovely pattern, though I long to add more pieces someday.  It is Kathryn Greeley's #2 choice in her Top Ten China Patterns.  Now retired, this pattern was that which Napoleon used while in exile on the south Atlantic island of St. Helena.  

Vintage Bronze Souvenirs of Paris Aside a 

Vintage Avon Bee Skep Cologne Bottle

Vintage Letter Openers Atop 1900 Edition of L'Aiglon, 

A Play In Six Acts Based On The Life Of Napoleon's Son

Performed At The Knickerbocker Theatre 

New York, October 1900

Serving a light brunch, I used the opportunity to follow Karhryn Greeley's advice: "Mixing antique collections with contemporary tabletop pieces adds drama and the unexpected."  With my collection as the central focus of my tables, I could easily pull select pieces to share with the group as I presented my topic.

Empire by Walbrzych, Poland, 

A lovely ribbed and scalloped plate with gold verge and trim was

a  thrifty Goodwill find.  With a name like Empire  

I thought it most appropriate in homage to Napoleon.

The golden bee textiles are from William Sonoma.

Petite Forks by Sabre of Paris 

MacKenzie-Childs Flower Market 

and Courtly Check Enamel Ware

Salmon Spread with Crackers

Recipe here

Seasonal Berries and Melon 

with Onion Walnut Muffins

Recipe here

The drink table featured 

items with the bee motif.

Petite French Faience Vase, CA 

Napoleonic Bee Vintage Silk Fragment, c1880

Napoleonic Bee Stems, 

La Rochere of France

For The Dessert Table

~ A Touch of Josephine ~

The stack of plates are Sarreguemines transfer ware c.1890-1922, and each feature a different Napoleonic military scene.  These were ironically found on a CAMEO field trip to Fredericksburg, TX.  One never knows where treasures will be discovered.

The red toleware jardiniere is a contemporary piece.

Pair of  Revolutionary Commemorative Plates, PBx, c1880.

 Sweet Little Souvenirs  
Chateau de Fontainebleau, 2011

Vintage Tiara ~ A Gift From My CAMEO Friends

If you enjoy historical fiction and the subject is of interest, I highly recommend reading Sandra Gulland's trilogy about Josephine.  It's a new look at this fascinating character of French history.

I reviewed each book in the links below.

THE MANY LIVES AND 
SECRET SORROWS OF JOSEPHINE B.

TALES OF PASSION, TALES OF WOE

LAST GREAT DANCE

For those of you still with me on this 

lengthy post, I offer you some sweet treats.

~ Napoleons ~

Layers of Mille-Feuille and Vanilla Cream 

Topped with Fondant

Bee Sugar Cookies

Vanilla Meringue Bites 

Perhaps this post will inspire you to begin a memorabilia 

collection of your own on a theme that interests you.

Joining

Spring Party @ French Country Cottage

Let's Dish @ Cuisine Kathleen

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Tutorials, Tips, and Tidbits @ Stone Gable

Share Your Cup Thursday @ Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

Home and Garden Thursday @ Delightsome Life

Open House Party @ No Minimalist Here

Pearls and Lace Thursday @ Faith, Grace, and Crafts

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

Open House Friday @ Bernideen's Tea Time

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Be Inspired Friday @ Common Ground

Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm

Festive Friday Fiesta@ The Home Girl

Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Seasonal Sunday @ The Tablescaper

Sunny Simple Sunday @ Sunny Simple Life

Master piece Monday @ Boogieboard Cottage

Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll thru Life

You're Gonna Love It Tuesday @ Kathe With An E

Pretty Things @ TwelveOeight

The Scoop @ Cedar Hill Ranch

Tuesday Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Things That Make Me Happy @ Art @ Home

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

J is for Journals

is for

Journals

Journals have long been a favorite means of recording one's thoughts, ideas, or experiences. Though I'm not one who keeps a daily journal, I often record experiences in a travel journal and enter observations or ideas into a garden journal to help transition from season to season.

Page From One Of Laurie Doctor's Journals

My recent studies with Laurie Doctor have inspired me to be more attentive to journal writing. Laurie advocates writing a line a day. She suggests that one give one's self at least 10 minutes a day to write in a personal journal. It need not be prose. She says write down random words or thoughts, sketch something that catches the eye, or even attach a snippet of something meaningful. It can be a poem you've read or a song you've heard.

Page From One Of Laurie Doctor's Journals

Another idea that Laurie shared is to use the journal space randomly. One doesn't have to fill a page before moving onto a new page. She flips back and forth between the pages of her journal. This provides interest to each page as if it is a collage of time or place or ideas. I also feel this makes the process easier and less structured. Notice in the above example, Laurie has used different writing styles, turned the page a different angle, and used colored ink at times.

Page From One Of Laurie Doctor's Journals

Here Laurie has added braille to the page along with a piece of foreign currency. She then included her own interpretation of the bill.

Page From One Of Laurie Doctor's Journals

The morning before departing, I had breakfast with Laurie at our hotel. As we sat visiting and enjoying some leisure time, Laurie made entries onto a page in her journal. She had drawn off a series of small squares and then sketched a piece of fruit from our breakfast into each box. Then she quickly tinted each with her watercolors. I noted that she added a little line about where she was and who she was with at the time. It is just such entires that she advocates. Simply record the moment.

Page From One Of Laurie Doctor's Journals

I'm not an artist or a calligrapher, but the idea is that one can use their own handwriting and do different things with it. Sketching can be simply drawing the lines of the shapes one sees. The focus is on using the page as a means to express something for yourself. It doesn't need to be shared with others. It's an echo of a memory, something that reminds us of the moment.

Page From One Of Laurie Doctor's Journals

I like the way Laurie mixed words with sketches for her thoughts on this page.

Sara Midda published IN AND OUT OF THE GARDEN IN 1981. It's a wonderful potpourri of garden lore, while SARA MIDDA'S SOUTH OF FRANCE SKETCHBOOK, 1990, is a personal journal of her year's sojourn in the south of France. Both are beautiful examples of the type of entries one might include in a daily journal. Delightful and delicious, the pages of both these books offer inspiration.

Page From One Of Laurie Doctor's Journals

Laurie makes her own journals so that the size and paper is of her choosing. Her journals are bound so that they lay flat for ease of writing or sketching. Arches paper is perfect for the pages because it takes both ink and watercolor. I noted that Laurie also mixes in a few other types of paper for variety. Some are folded to add different dimensions, and pockets or envelopes are also added. Laurie likes to either use a brad or a needle and thread to hand sew items onto a page.

I recently read Sandra Gulland's trilogy of Josephine Bonaparte. Ms. Gulland skillfully tells the story through the voice of Josephine in the writing of fictionalized journal entries. It is an enchanting means by which to reveal the life story of this intriguing lady. The series left me feeling as if Josephine were a close friend who had shared her most intimate thoughts.

Though each of these novels stand on their own, I recommend that they be read in succession as they seamlessly chronicle the life of Josephine Bonaparte. Click here to read my review on THE MANY LIVES AND SECRET SORROWS OF JOSEPHINE B. Click here for the review on TALES OF PASSION, TALES OF WOE. Click here for the review on THE GREAT LAST DANCE.

Thank you for stopping by today. For more Letter J Lessons in Mrs. Matlock's class, click here.

And a huge THANK YOU, MRS. MATLOCK for the thoughtful gift certificate. No doubt there will be new books arriving soon.

THE LAST GREAT DANCE ON EARTH

Sandra Gulland's THE LAST GREAT DANCE ON EARTH is available here on Amazon. I give this book *****.

This is my fourth book review linked to Food for Thought hosted by the incredibly talented Jain of Food with Style and Once in a Blue Moon. Be sure to visit each of these sites. You will not be disappointed!

THE LAST GREAT DANCE ON EARTH is the third and final book in Sandra Gulland's series on Josephine Bonaparte. Thus I write this post with a bit of melancholy, for this one ends with Josephine's death. Through these works, I've truly come to love and admire Josephine as a dear, dear friend. I will miss her.

As with the previous books in this series, the author uses fictional diaries written in Josephine's voice. In the opening pages of this final novel, Josephine and Napoleon have moved into the Tuileries where they celebrate their fourth anniversary. Napoleon continues to rise in power and is declared First Consul for Life.

The saga of Josephine's trials continue. She faces difficult times and much stress because of Napoleon's family. The fact that she has not conceived a child complicates her relationship as the wife of Napoleon. France needs an heir!

Josephine has to come to terms with the knowledge of Napoleon's infidelities. Both Josephine and Bonaparte struggle with the strains upon their marriage: her inability to conceive and Napoleon's wandering eye. The love story continues, and the two remain passionate about one another as their love continues to bind them to their destiny.

With amazing fortitude and ingenuity, Josephine prevails. On December 2, 1804, Napoleon and Josephine are crowned Emperor and Empress of France. It is from this passage that I took my inspiration for connecting with food. I found it touching and intimate that this couple shared a simple meal, just the two of them alone, at the close of such an eventful, historical day. A roast chicken is always a favorite around here, but it was the soufflé that caught my attention. Like Bonaparte, I'd like to eat mine first. You know the saying, "Life's short. Eat dessert first!"

Rather than a simple vanilla soufflé, ours is Grand Marnier.

This delicate dessert soufflé is rather simple made with heavy cream, a bit of butter, sugar, flour, orange zest, 6 eggs, and of course a healthy dose of Grand Marnier. The aroma as it was baking filled our home with the most amazing fragrance.

Please, have a bite and think of Napoleon and Josephine as they celebrated their coronation.

After Napoleon and Josephine divorced, Josephine was given her beloved Malmaison, where she spent the last years of her life. She was an avid gardener and devoted much of her energy to establish the gardens of Malmaison. She cultivated many new plants grown in France, and her rose garden is renown for some 250 varieties of roses. Josephine Bonaparte died in 1814. The Chateau de Malmaison is just a short distance from the heart of Paris, and today is a museum open from April to October. The official apartments are open and include Josephine's clothes, china, glass, and personal things. Read more about this national French treasure here and here.

Now at the end of these three wonderful books, I, too, "have tears in my heart".

For through these works of fiction, Sandra Gulland has given me a beloved friend in Josephine who will always be dear to my heart. I appreciate this new perspective of the fascinating Josephine, and like Sandra, I hope that continued research into the life of Josephine Bonaparte proves to vindicate her. Though each of these novels stand on their own, I recommend that they be read in succession as they seamlessly chronicle the life of Josephine Bonaparte.

I read somewhere that Josephine adored both the sight and scent of violets, and that after her death Napoleon wore a locket of violets from Josephine's garden at Malmaison. I think this is a lovely thought for the love story of Napoleon and Josephine.