The morning call., 1894-02-11

lures of the French Emperor, which ap-
reared by wholesale in the English papers,
fairly made him boil with rage, which was
the more intensified as he knew he was
pOwerless to prevent it. In France, where
he was absolute master of the press. as
of everything else. these comical illusions
to his personalities were not so frequent.
The little Illustration represe ntiDg Napo-
| leon as an ape. holding on his big military
hat, is taken. however, from French
| caricature at the time of Bonaparte's First
| Consulship.
rs Emperor, Napoleon was handsome
man. His features, although hardened by
| the trying campaigns he had gone through,
were not what would be called severe.
DAVID, the court painter of the empire,
said that Napoleon had beautiful an
tique head, the upper part resem bling the
head of Caesar and the lower part that of
Brutus. His eyes and mouth particularly
were very changeable and full of express
sion. David's beautiful painting of Ma
poleon on horseback, crossing the Alps, is
as well known as the popular, although
incorrect, Stuart portrait of Washington.
Other celebrated. painters. whose portraits
are accepted as accurate likenesses of Ma
poleon. are Isahey. Horace Vernet, Della
roche, Lefevre, Gerard, Eastlake, Baron lie
Gros and Steuben.
There are three principal groups of
Napoleonc pOrIraits-the early ones
sometimes designated the long-hair series;
then come the hat portraits, showing
Napoleon in military Dress and the impe-
rial series. OF the latter, one OF the finest
is the painting by Gerard of Napoleon in
his coronation robes. 1t has been engraved
in large size, and the early impressions are
exceedingly rare. One of the first proofs,
unlettered, engraved in 1916 by Desnoyers,
was sold a short time ago in Europe for
$3.50. The same engra wing, letlered,
brings from $50 to $40 apiece. Another
rare engraving is one of Napoleon as First
Consul, by Lefevre. The painting for
merly belonged to Mr.. Graves. a we'll
known London publisher, bnt is now
owned by large collector of Napoleonana
in that city. aud up to a year ago had only
been engraved once. This vas in 1874, by
Cousins. and very few proofs were made.
The British Museum owns one, for which
it paid $40
Collectors of Napoleonana are not sat-
isfled TO get only one engraving of GEL
ebrated portrait. The picture is called
different If It is the work of another en-
graver, although taken from the same
ting. Likewise all the various sizes
and impressions go to make different por-
traits. just how many there are has
never been definitely stated, but Mr.. w.
G. Crane, of New York. says that he has
over 1000 differ Mt portraits of the First
French Emperor In all probability this
is the largest and finest collection in the
country, if not in the world. Mr.. Crane
aud print shops of Paris and other Euro
pean cities, and has gathered together a
mass of wonderfully curious and instruc-
tive material.
One of the rarest portraits of Napoleon
represents him wearing the iron crown.
The features are accepted as accurate,
but the crown is ideal. 1t was q cour-
tier-like way of designating him as the
successor of Charemagne. The portrait
was engraved by Longbi. for little book
published in PadUva, Italy, in 1912. II
has never been re-engraved, and as but
few OF the books were printed. it is almost
impossible to find one now at any price.
As in his portraits so Napoleon changed
IN his handwriting Very few entire
letters of NAPOLEON are known. Practi-
cally all OF bis correspondence was done
by his secretaries, but everything written
by his order and all state papers were
sgned by him. As his name appears on
hundreds OF documents, his signature is
not particularly rare, although 1t always
commands fair price. The nature of
the paper TO which it is signed regulates
the value, rare and important state docu-
ments being preferable TO ordinary pa pers.
LIZ has been SAID that good life of Napo-
leon could be written from his autographs.
certain 1t is that one familiar with the
Bonaparte hieroglyphics, for many of
them are little batter than that. can tell
exactly at what period of his life they were
written. he was a VIGOROUSLY bad writer
| ana 1t required no small degree of skill to
declDher many of mis- dispatches.
Napoleon's family. who. for many years
had lived on the island of Corsica, where
Napoleon was born in 1863. wrote the
| name In the Italian manner, Buonaparte.
Napoleon's early letters are all signed in
| this manner. but when he was appointed
10 the command of the army IN Italy in
1896. he dropped the u, and never again
used IL. Mr.. Salnsbury, whose collection
| has previously been men toned. made quite
| study of the Emperor's autographs. and
liked tho exact date when the first change
took place. Mr.. Sainsbury had two letters,
both written March !, 1896, one signed