Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-01-05
TOYS OF TWO EMPEaoRs.

The Dolls That Amused Napoleon HE. and
Cxar's iuppet Soldiers
The recent discovery at Buckingham
palace of the dolls which the queen
dressed as child has caused almost as
much interest on the continent as in
this country. The French especially
have been struck with the idea that
s'this woman OF seventy-three. covered
with glory, queen of a happy England
and empress of a peaceful India"
should again let her eyes rest upon the
toys with which she played more than
sixty years ago.
Another fact in connection with the
queens dolls, on which French news
papers love to dwell, is that her maies-
ty has shown an interest in the dolls
which, in the words of one French
chronicler, looks almost as if she would
have liked to be left alone with her be-
loved toys and take once more into her
arms the ugly, old-fashioned dolls
Curiously enough, the last emperor
OF the French had an army of dolls,
which in many respects were like those
of the queen. Instead of ShepherdesseS
and sleeping beauties. however, the
dolls of Napoleon Ill were all soldiers,
each one representing a regiment in
the French army. and each a perfect
model in every way. 1t was quite by
chance this army of military dolls was
started. One winter night, NJ Premier,
the artist, was passing the Tuileries,
where ball was going on Outside, at
the gate, he saw a mounted artillery
man on guard. and was so struck
with the motionleSs figure in
the snow-covered square that next
morning he made clay model
of it. NJ. de Nieuweker,xe saw it,
told the emperor of it and caused a
series OF similar statuettes to be made,
each representing a different type of
soldier. Napoleon III. presently in
quired, somewhat to the sculptor-s con-
sternation, whether the clay models
could not be eolored. They would then,
he added, be quite perfect After some
difficulty this was accomplished, and
the miniature regiment was pronounced
quite perfect"
The noble army of imperial dolls was
not, however, destined to q long life,
and the work which it had taken the
sculptor over ten years to complete was
almost destroyed in single day. One
morning the late prince imperial, then
a child, was playing with young Fleury
in the room where his fathers toy SOL
diers were kept under glass His tutor
gave permission to the boys to play
with them, and the son of the emperor
led one half of the number against the
rest, which were headed by the son of
the general. In half an hours time the
army of statuettes had ceased to exist
Nicholas l., car of all the RuSsiaS,
was another of the sovereigns who had
q leaning towards toy soldiers. When.
in 1885. he made changes in the uni
form of the Russian army he had the
new apparel of each regiment drawn
by the cleverest artists in the country.
Next, forty figures were ordered to be
constructed by the leading sculptors,
and uniforms were then made after the
water-color drawings to fit the puppets
1t was thus that the great Nicholas
studied the effect of the new uniforms.
Later on the figures were placed in
large cases with glass doors in the en-
peror's study at Krasnoe-Sclo, where
they may still be seen.-Pal1 Mall Bud
get