Court train owned by Queen Hortense, First Empire
From the Chateau de Malmaison Costume Collection app:
“Hortense, the daughter of Alexandre de Beauharnais and Marie-Josephe-Rose (later to become Empress Josephine) married Louis Bonaparte, Napoleon’s brother. When they came to power as king and queen of Holland in 1806, this led to a renaissance in court life and the etiquette established by Louis Bonaparte at that time borrowed from the customs of Napoleon’s imperial court. Hortense had to set an example at official receptions and did so by wearing richly decorated silk dresses and court trains like the one seen here. The first example of this sort of train was the one worn by Empress Josephine at Napoleon’s coronation and immortalized in David’s celebrated painting in the Louvre.”
(Source: fripperiesandfobs)
Dress uniform jacket belonging to Major General Prince Eugene, ca. 1812
From the Chateau de Malmaison Costume Collection app:
“Prince Eugene was the oldest son of Josephine and Alexandre de Beauharnais. He was appointed viceroy of Italy by Napoleon. This major general’s full dress jacket, embroidered at the neck, on the facings, lapels and flaps with oak leaves and acorns closes with seven gold buttons decorated with a trophy of arms. At each shoulder there is a bar and button designed to carry epaulettes which are now lost. At the lower back, there is a garland finishing in a grenade framed by two wings and surmounted by a flame and lightning. A yellow paper label has been sewn into the lining with a brown ink inscription stating ‘jacket worn by Prince Eugene in Russia’; this would have been in 1812 when he was commanding the Italian, French and Bavarian troops of the 4th Army Corps.”
(Source: fripperiesandfobs)
