Hudson Lowe

FINDING NAPOLEON ON MAY 5

Napoleon Bonaparte on deathbed, by Denzil Ibbetson from his sketches made at Longwood House, St Helena, May 6, 1821, on loan from Conte Walewski to Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Napoleon Bonaparte’s Death Napoleon Bonaparte died in exile on St Helena Island on May 5, 1821. The next day, Denzil Ibbetson (1775-1857) came to Longwood House to sketch the Emperor as his body awaited autopsy. Based on his drawings, Ibbetson painted the strikingly modern painting shown above. He gave the painting to Napoleon’s last rival, […]

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Napoleon’s Pastimes on St Helena

Napoleon At Rest on St Helena

How did Napoleon Bonaparte spend the 2,029 days of his exile on St Helena? After all, the Great Man (or Monster, depending on your point of view) jam-packed his previous forty-six years. At sixteen, he rushed through Paris’ École Militaire to graduate after one year instead of the normal two. In 1798, on his way

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