The times., 1898-12-03
THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE.

Il
searcher of documents relative to the En-
peror Napoleon. his family and all his sur
roundings, says a Paris correspondent OF
I the New York Evening Post He Is as
minute ON this subject as Danseau was
concerning Louis XIV; he disdains no de-
tails, he makes us live over the lives of
the imperial court: he revives for US the
style Empire, he looks into the accounts
of the imperial household; nothing seems
uninteresting 10 him if II can throw a
ray of light on the dazzling years OF the
Napoieonic period.
l sometimes see in catalogues the title
of a learned book Sabine. ou la matinee
dune Dame romaine.' | imagine that it
must be something In the style of LEXIS
tencc dune Imperatrice in which Fred
eric Mason has recently described the life
of the Empress Josephine at the Tulleries.
But the Empress Josephine is more intesG
esting to us than a Roman lady OF the
time of the Caesars Josephine's memory
VIII always be bound up with that OF
Napoleon; she was looked upon by the
people as his good genius. When he di-
vorced the "bonne Josephine" people he
lieved that fortune would abandon him.
with wild, ardent love at first. during
the early days of want and of greatness:
afterwards with an enduring and constant
love. even when she had lost her youth
and her beauty. He was under her charm:
, he wrote to her from Italy and Egypt
love letters which were so warm that the
publishers of his correspondence thought
1t best not to print them: and when all
was over, after he had lost the battle OK
Waterloo, his last thoughts on leaving
Paris Were for Josephine and Malmaison,
where they had lived together the happy
and glorious years of the Consulate.
NJ. Mason. having described the stage
on which Josephine moved after she had
become Empress enters into n minute
account of the life which was marked out
for her. He shows her in the morning, in
bed with a percale or embroidered mus
lin cap garnished with Valenciennes or
Mechin: sometimes with a pereale toquet
on her head" Though, in her linen-clos-
cts. she had lot OF shirts with long
sleeves, she wore at night as by day the
same shirt over which she put at night
a camisole,'-she had all sorts of them,
embroidered satin-lined in all colors etc.
Josephine gave three hours every morn
ing to dressing. Her toilet was great
affair, and the women who helped her
were the most important witnesses of her
life. Her staff was composed Of two first
bedchamber women, four maids, a dame
d'atour. four woman and girl de garde-
robe. The two first women were there
only for etiquette's sake: they had large
salaries and little to do. The four maids
who received the title Of dame d'annonce,
had for their special business to act as
ushers, to open the door to the Emperor,
to the princesses. The real actors during
the toilet. the intimate companions. were
the dame d'atour and the four femmes de
garde-robe Josephine bathed every morn
ing, and, after the bath, she had 10 take
all sorts of means pour reparer des ans
rirreparab!e outrage" as the poet says.
Like an actress, she painted herself. she
concealed she might her wrinkles.
VI. Mason tells US that in one year
QS0O she bought Is. 21i9.5S of r0usa at
Martins. and IS. 59S.52 Of rouge at Ma
dame Chaumeton's. He has seen the hi i
and gives us the francs and oent'nes-
Napoleon did not like women 10 look pale.
Go, put on rouge he said one day t. a
lady, during reception. What ails
you?" said he to another; you are very
pale: have you just bsen confined?' He
did not like perfumes and Josephine va
obliged TO do without any except eau de
Cologne. Josephine had every fortnight
a visit from her ped,eure German Jew
named Tobias Kohen. who arrived n uni
form. with sword at his side
When she put on her shirt her maids
had 10 choose among ass more or less
embroidered and Sdrni-hed with the
most expensive laces. Don't be sur
prised," says N Ma sson, ''at these "a
shirts: they hardly suffice as she changes
them three times a day" The maids put
on her stockinss-generally WI ite some
times pink. She had in her wardrobe as
pairs of white silk stockings. 3 pink TX
from Is to - francs the pair The saceS
she wore In the morning were gene rally
of colored leather or of silk In one year
she buys go pairs. These shoes are very
light and heelless; they seem to BE- plrt
of the foot They are like the sko=s II
which a lady once complained 70 Cot e.
the Empress furnisher. that they split
the first time this lady put than on. oh.
l see what it is said Cote; Madame
has been walking"
After the corset. very light. without
whalebone. she puts on dressins-gown.
and Herbault. the hair-d-esser is intro
duced. Herbault is quite parsonage.
but on great ocea asions Josephine re-
ceives a greater parsonage. the famous
Dup!an, who has known all the ladies OF
the Directory; who was familiar with
Nine. Tallien. and one day cut in pieces
a veil worth 5000 francs which she had
handed him. and which ne found too large
for her coiffure. Duplan received e.
eco francs in 1897 from Jose ephine; l. Gao in
1865; as much in 1903; he sells, besides.
TO her 10.00o francs worth of various
articles yearly. AT the time of the di-
vorce Napoleon gave Duplan To the new
Empress. with the salary of 4. eos francs
a year. While the hair-dresser is st!u at
his work. the danes du palais introduce
a succession of furnishers. who bring
muslins, silks, etc, for the Empress
choice.
Josephine was constantly in debt.
though the Emperor allowed her A very
large revenue; he had to pay these debts
from time to time. NJ Mason caicu-
lates that she, in reality. spent l. .11g or
francs year-more than a million for
her toilet but jewelry is included. and
amounts to nearly half of the sum Il Is
rather extraordinary that she bought so
many jewels, as she had at her commend
the splendid jewels of the crown. at that
time the finest in existence-a complete
set of diamonds, crown. diadem. comb.
earrings. bracelets. necklace. valued at
nearly four millions; a set OF rubies. one
of turquoises, one of pearls
Nhat she bought herself could not COM
pare with these fine jewels but she liked
to buy, to change, to play, as il were
with her ornaments. She was like a child
with its toys. The debts of Josenhine
were paid after conjugaI scenes which
ended always in the same way: lose
phine wept, and Napoleon consoled her.
Allons, Josephine. alIons. ma petite ne
pleures pas" As long as Josephine
bought French goods Napoleon was pa
tient. but he could not endue her buvirp
English goods, regarding this as an ar
TACK upon his authority Josephine, how