Napoleon Bonaparte congratulating Jean-Roch Coignet by a campfire.
Jean-Roch Coignet (born on 16th August 1776) served in the French army from 1799 up through the battle of Waterloo. He was awarded with the Légion d'honneur after single-handedly capturing an Austrian cannon during the battle of Montebello in 1800. Coignet rejoined Napoleon during the hundred days, after Napoleon returned to France during his first exile in 1814. During the battle of Waterloo, he killed a Prussian officer. Coignet was fortunate to survive many campaigns, even the infamous 1812 Russia campaign.
After the Napoleonic wars, Coignet settled down in Auxerre with his Tobacco shop. He eventually wrote down his experiences during the Napoleonic wars which were published between 1851-1853. These written down experiences proved to be very popular as eventually even a TV miniseries was made surrounding his life. Jean-Roch Coignet died on 10th december 1865 at the age of 89.
Napoleon visiting the plague victims in Jaffa during the Egypt campaign (11 march 1799).
So what really happened?
The painting below in colour was commisioned by Napoleon himself and painted by Antoine-Jean Gros. It depicts Napoleon visiting plague victims of his army in the Saint Nicholas monastery in Jaffa, Israel. How much of this scene is real?
Of course the painting and the event were perfect propaganda devices serving multiple goals: it countered the rumours that Napoleon ordered the execution of prisoners in Jaffa, it shows empathy towards his soldiers and gave him a touch of immortality being able to physically touch plague victims without falling ill.Were there any eyewitnesses that can confirm that this event actually happened? Well this is the tricky part, some say Napoleon really did visit and touch victims of the plague and others say that no such thing happened. An example is doctor Desgenettes, who is also portrayed in the painting, he claimed that Napoleon did help carry plague victims. Note, it was still unknown how the plague spread so it was considered dangerous to touch plague victims with your bare hands. (you can’t catch the bubonic plague by touching sick people)
It’s extremely obvious that the painting, and other depictions like the one in black/white, was made for propaganda purposes. It displays Napoleon as someone capable of the traditional thaumaturgical royal touch, French kings were often portrayed as being capable to perform miracles. It’s very possible that Napoleon was indeed present at the monastery and perhaps even helped transporting the sick but there is also of course the possibility that the entire story was fabricated, the eyewitness accounts seem to differ quite a bit so we can sadly never be sure. It is however true that the monks at this Armenian monastery were asked to help out the plague-ridden Napoleonic soldiers and they received Napoleon’s sword and tent as a thanks.
It’s also a possibility that this story was spread in order to downplay the rumour that Napoleon ordered the euthanization of his own sick soldiers, one of the most notorious orders ever given by Napoleon. The truth lies likely somewhere in between, a combination of all possibilities and reasons.
There was some interest in my tulwar post to see a comparison of grip sizes and to see a hand actually holding the swords for a sense of scale. Here are some photos I took way back in 2010 (apologies for the terrible background and lower image quality). I’m not sure what I was trying to achieve when I took these, but they do demonstrate how one could hold the swords, I suppose. They are, in order from top to bottom:
British Pattern 1803 Infantry Officer’s Sword
British Pattern 1796 Light Cavalry Officer’s Sword
British Pattern 1796-style Officer’s Sword (with pipe-back blade)
This sword is very similar to the Pattern 1796 Heavy Cavalry Officer’s Dress Sword, and it could actually be one. However, I think it might be an infantry officer’s sword, and may pre-date the 1796 regulations. The main departure from most 1796 HC Dress Swords is the manner in which the knucklebow attaches to the pommel. The 1796 HCD’s knucklebow attached with a screw, whereas my example slots into a jolt in the pommel. Additionally, the boat shell guard is asymmetrical.
The blade is of diamond cross-section and has some weight to it–not a light small-sword blade–and is probably a bit better at thrusting than the standard P1796 Infantry Officer’s Sword blade.
It is far from being in top condition, but its unique features have made it an interesting sword to study and own.
A new sword channel to follow on YouTube. It’s very new so only has this one video, however Pino is a very knowledgeable guy with a substantial collection of swords (plus he’s an all round nice guy). So hopefully we have a lot of future content to look forward to.
An anon asked me for Erik x Raoul in their masquerade attire. Red Death is surprisingly very easy to draw compared to Raoul’s hussar uniform; my hand is dead from that;(
I haven’t been happy with my linework lately so I used this as an exercise to practice my lines.
Happy early Valentine’s Day! Imagine Love, Simon… but Regency ♥️♥️♥️ This little fun project was a labor of love. It has always meant to be something quick and fun or TikTok, but then I ended up writing a script, casting roles, came up with scene directions, a director of photography and a whole editing program. I can’t thank everyone involved enough! Especially @the.dapper.daniel who did so much. The title of Director of Photography only scratches the surface of the work he did. I hope you guys love Jane Austen’s Love, Simon! . CAST & CREW Simon - @cafededuy Voice of Simon - @cfowl22 Simon’s Mom - @kellykirstein Leah - @courter7 Abigail - @monicajoelleo Nicholas - @caleb_thing2 Abigail’s Mom - @catbrenes . Film by Duy Director of Photography - @the.dapper.daniel
I’ve launched a new jewelry line called The Josephine collection, named after Napoleon’s lovely wife. These are very accurate reproductions of Georgian and Regency-era jewelry, using the best materials I can get my hands on, including my new custom-made collet settings, which are the most accurate on the market. I’m so pleased with how lovely everything is and even more pleased that they are so versatile. I hope you’ll check out my reproduction jewelry.
I’ve added some new reproduction collet necklaces to my Etsy shop. Perfect for your 18th Century or Regency costuming needs. Or for wearing them to work, which I do :)
A youngish Joseph Fouché, revolutionary, professional turncoat, Napoleon’s police minister and archnemesis, in all his red-haired, blue-eyed glory (inspired by this miniature here). Painted in acrylic on Moleskine sketchbook paper.
I’ve come across something very interesting. Allegedly, this drawing is a self-portrait of Caroline Murat holding an urn containing her husband’s ashes.
This is the first time I’ve ever seen this (and I’ve been digging for art related to Joachim & Caroline Murat regularly for years), so I can’t help but be skeptical? But the source given for this on the Wiki Commons page goes to what looks like a legitimate auction page (see the link below). The description reads:
Autoportrait tenant l’urne contenant les cendres de son époux Joachim Murat, fusillé le 13 octobre 1815 à Pizzo Calabro. Dessin à la pierre noire d’Italie, signé en bas à gauche : Carolina
31,5 x 25 cm
Provenance : Charles-Tristan de Montholon ou/et ? Albine de Montholon, puis Hélène Napoléone Bonaparte ( Sainte-Hélène 18 juin 1816- Aix-en-Provence 1910)
*edit* As @northernmariette notes, if this is legitimate, the urn would be symbolic since Joachim’s remains were never recovered; he still remains interred under the church in Pizzo, where he was buried after his execution.
Also, the auction only occurred in July, and the image was only just uploaded to Wiki Commons at the beginning of this month, which explains why this is the first time I’ve ever seen it.
I think it’s real, because it’s signed in the back, and it looks like it’s authenticated by the auction house– I doubt it was forged. This is tremendously exciting. This makes Caroline and Murat much more immediate– I feel even more emotional thinking about the two.
NEW MAP: Europe 1812: French retreat from Moscow (24 October 1812) https://omniatlas.com/maps/europe/18121024/ Despite the French capture of Moscow, the Russians refused to negotiate and Napoleon eventually realized that he had no option but to withdraw. In late October 1812 the French marched southwest towards Kaluga, in the hope of taking a fresh route back west, but were halted at Maloyaroslavets. Persuaded that the Kaluga road was no longer viable, Napoleon now decided to return along the same route he had come, a path already devastated by his advance. #1810s #1812 #19thcentury #atlas #europe #europeanhistory #france #history #historyclass #historygram #historyinthemaking #historylesson #historylover #historyschool #historyteacher #maps #napoleon #napoleonic #napoleonicwars #october #october24 #frenchhistory #russianempire #peninsularwar #strategy #militaryhistory #welovehistory #worldhistory #newmap (at Maloyaroslavets) https://www.instagram.com/p/CS849mhr7XP/?utm_medium=tumblr
NEW MAP: Europe 1812: Battle of Berezina (26 November 1812) https://buff.ly/3xEUvdU Suffering from the winter, exhausted supply lines, and repeated Russian attacks, the French retreat from Moscow soon degenerated into a disaster. In late November Napoleon narrowly managed to escape across the Berezina, evading a last Russian attempt to destroy his army but losing half his remaining troops. The emperor then raced back to Paris to raise new recruits while the remnants of his Grande Armée—some 10,000 of the over 400,000 who had marched on Moscow just months before—crossed out of Russia. #1810s #1812 #19thcentury #atlas #bonaparte #europe #europeanhistory #france #frenchhistory #frenchempire #frenchrevolution #historic #historisch #historyclass #historyfacts #historymaker #historymatters #historyteacher #janeausten #mapmaking #maps #militaryhistory #napoleon #napoleoni #napoleonic #napoleonicwars #november #november26 #russianempire #newmap (at Borisov, Belarus) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSYxB0Brs2W/?utm_medium=tumblr
NEW MAP: Europe 1813: Sixth Coalition (3 March 1813) https://buff.ly/3BI3Gxr In early 1813, in the wake of the collapse of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, Russian forces swept into Prussia and the Duchy of Warsaw. In late February the Prussians secretly agreed to an alliance with Russia, but would not declare war on France until Berlin was liberated. A few days later Britain and Sweden also signed an alliance, marking the beginning of the Sixth Coalition against Napoleon. #1810s #1813 #19thcentury #regencyera #carta #cartografia #europe #europeanhistory #frenchempire #germanhistory #bonaparte #historian #historie #historyinthemaking #historylovers #historymaker #historymuseum #instahistory #maps #march #march3 #militaryhistory #napoleon #napoleonic #napoleonicwars #prussia #russianempire #britishhistory #newmap #russianhistory (at Stockholm, Sweden) https://www.instagram.com/p/CR01FRjrNNW/?utm_medium=tumblr
NEW MAP: Europe 1813: Battle of Dresden (26 August 1813) https://buff.ly/3yURbgq In August 1813 the Armistice of Pläswitz came to an end and Austria declared war on France. Now facing all three major continental powers, Napoleon defeated the Allies at Dresden but was unable to follow through on his success. #1810s #1813 #19thcentury #august #august26 #austrianempire #carta #cartographer #cartography #bonaparte #europe #europeanhistory #napoleonic #napoleon #napoleonicwars #historias #historical #historicalatlas #historisch #historydegree #historyfacts #historymatters #historyteacher #maps #prussia #russianempire #saxony #militaryhistory #frenchempire #newmap (at Dresden, Germany) https://www.instagram.com/p/CPklxZIAM9P/?utm_medium=tumblr
Prepare yourselves… For a wallpaper version of AvaniaNo.6’s back inside cover illustration, featuring Captains Fontania Eraclare and Alders Wight.
As you might imagine from their detailed uniforms, I spent a while finishing this pic. I am pretty happy with how it turned out though, and both of them sorely needed some updated artwork for their character bios!
