Wednesday, August 19, 2015

N is for Napoleon





is for
Napoleon



Vintage Bronze Souvenirs of Paris Aside a 

Vintage Avon Bee Skep Cologne Bottle




It's no secret that Paris has long been my favorite 

destination, and over the years I've collected 

my fair share of Napoleonic memorabilia. 




Kathryn Crisp Greeley's, 

THE COLLECTED TABLETOP,

advocates using one's collections to set a special table.

I decided to do just that when I selected 

Napoleonic Memorabilia 

as my topic for a CAMEO meeting 

at my home several years ago.





Those of you who follow HFTS might remember the post I shared here about CAMEO, a small antique club of which I'm a member.  

CAMEO
Collecting Antiques and Memorabilia 
and Educating Ourselves

The structure of our small group is such that each member is responsible for presenting or arranging a presentation on a topic of interest to share with the group at one of our monthly meetings.  





Collecting Napoleonic Memorabilia

simply happened over time for me.




Napoleon's famous N and bee motif 

show up in many things and always catch my eye.




The pottery pieces you see in the photos 

are mostly French faience produced in the 

last part of the 19th century or the first half of the 20th century.




Small Bust of Napoleon, CA 

Dinner Plate, HenRiot Quimper





Vintage Letter Openers Atop 1900 Edition of L'Aiglon, 

A Play In Six Acts Based On The Life Of Napoleon's Son

Performed At The Knickerbocker Theatre 

New York, October 1900





Petite French Faience Vase, CA 

Napoleonic Bee Vintage Silk Fragment, c1880




Napoleon and Josephine

 Sweet Little Souvenirs 

Chateau de Fontainebleau, 2011





Serving a light brunch, I used the opportunity to follow Karhryn Greeley's advice: "Mixing antique collections with contemporary tabletop pieces adds drama and the unexpected."  With my collection as the central focus of my tables, I could easily pull select pieces to share with the group as I presented my topic.

You can see the original post in full here.



Vintage Tiara ~ A Gift From My CAMEO Friends

If you enjoy historical fiction and the subject is of interest, I highly recommend reading Sandra Gulland's trilogy about Josephine.  It's a new look at this fascinating character of French history.

I reviewed each book in the links below.




~ Napoleons ~

Layers of Mille-Feuille and Vanilla Cream 

Topped with Fondant





Perhaps this post will inspire you to begin a memorabilia 

collection of your own on a theme that interests you.




When you host your next dinner party, gather up a collection 

to use as a theme.  I found it fun to see my pieces grouped 

together, and your collection will no doubt spark conversation.

Joining