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A shirt believed to have been worn by Napoleon on St. Helena, circa 1820 image 1
A shirt believed to have been worn by Napoleon on St. Helena, circa 1820 image 2
Lot 147*

A shirt believed to have been worn by Napoleon on St. Helena, circa 1820

27 October 2021, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

£60,000 - £80,000

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A shirt believed to have been worn by Napoleon on St. Helena, circa 1820

In fine white cambric 'toile de batiste' linen, discreetly embroidered with a crowned N in red silk above the left vent, partially starched, of thigh length with a lined V-shaped open-necked collar and long sleeves, the cuffs finished with two buttonholes, the vented sides with gussets to the armpits, impressed into the cloth at the front with a card inscribed in ink and applied with a black seal, the front panel 85cm long, the rear panel 90cm long, sleeves 60cm long,

Footnotes

Provenance:
General Henri-Gatien Bertrand (1773–1844)
Henri-Alexandre-Arthur Bertrand (1811-1878) and thence by descent
The Napoleonic Collection of the Prince's Palace of Monaco, Osenat, Fontainebleau, 16 November 2014, lot 78

Exhibited:
Waterloo Memorial Museum, 'Napoléon: de Waterloo à Sainte-Hélène, la naissance de la légende', 5 May to 17 October 2021

This shirt is believed to be one of the six examples listed in the bathroom linen in Napoleon's will (see Dr. F. Antommarchi, Last moments of Napoleon, Vol. II, Paris, London, Henri Colburn, 1825, p.215). A handwritten note bearing a black wax seal, written by the eldest son of General Bertrand, the Emperor's aide-de-camp, attached to the front of the shirt, attests to its authenticity: "Chemise que l'Empereur Napoléon a porté à Ste Hélène. Elle a été/donnée à Henry Bertrand, par un article/du testament de son père, le général Bertrand./Henry Bertrand/ 29bre 1844/Souvenir de bonne amitié à Feisthamel". General Bertrand accompanied Napoleon to St Helena and brought the former Emperor's remains back to France in 1840 for burial at Les Invalides. After his death, Bertrand bequeathed the shirt to Henri, his eldest son.

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