Thu 29 Mar 2012
I hadn’t been to the Army Museum located at Invalides in years but did a little exploring the other day. They’ve done some extensive remodeling and I couldn’t find some things I liked but it’s still interesting.
A statue of Napoleon overlooks the entry court of Invalides as you enter.
A painting of Napoleon when he set himself up as Emperor.
A coat and hat he often wore as well as his sleeping area set up in a tent. They used to have the room where he died set up too, as well as his death mask but they were no where to be seen.
Napoleon, not looking very happy, before he was sent in exile to Elba, although he was considered the ruler of the island and given money. He eventually left with a small army and tried to get in power again.
And here is his old horse, stuffed. They had his dog here as well once but it’s gone too.
His final resting place under the dome of Invalides.
Don’t you hate it when a museum takes away some of the things you love most. I’ve never understood the French feeling about Napoleon. Was he a hero? Was he a ruler desperate to grab power leading France down the wrong path? Did they love him or hate him?
[...] Frenchless in France ยป Napoleon [...]
I had to be dragged to the army museum and then it turned out to be one of THE most interesting places. I always encourage people to see it. Do they still have that armor with the canon ball hole through the chest? Until I saw that, I always thought of cannon balls as going through ships or castles…not people!
There are jokes among American museum curators about old fashioned ‘stuffed owl’ museums. Unless they are very carefully preserved, stuffed animals tend to grow live creatures, which then necessitates further conservation. The stuffed horse is definitely a curiosity. Including the dog would really take it too far. Children probably loved it, while many adults cringed. May they rest in peace.