Napoleon at the Museum

This drum is said to have been taken at the Battle of Waterloo. The attribution remains impossible to confirm, but it is plausible. The construction of the instrument — a snare drum with a brass shell and wooden hoops drilled to accommodate a rope tensioning system — is indeed consistent with French models of the time.

It was acquired in Brussels in the summer of 1926 by Dr. Harold Murchison Tovell, a radiologist from a prominent Toronto family and the husband of Ruth Lillian Massey, a cousin of Vincent Massey, who would later become Governor General of Canada.

After the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleon became a figure of folklore. This full-size sculpture, carved from pine and retaining its original polychrome paint, dates from the first half of the 19th century. Oral tradition claims it is the work of Michael Grace, a shipbuilder in Sackville, New Brunswick, who was a sculptor in his spare time. It is said to have once stood at Tingley House, a stagecoach stop in the area.

However, our latest research has not confirmed the sculptor’s identity or pinpointed the exact location of this site. An object like this illustrates both the persistence of certain gaps in museum collections and Napoleon’s significance as an icon of popular culture.

Several soldiers and sailors from the British Army and Navy settled or stayed for a period in North American colonies after the Napoleonic Wars. Among the most famous figures is Sir John Franklin. Born in 1786, he joined the Royal Navy at a very young age and took part in the major naval campaigns of the time, including the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

He later distinguished himself as the leader of expeditions to map the Arctic and search for the Northwest Passage. In 1845, he led a final expedition that ended with the loss of his ships and his own death, cementing his tragic reputation. This Naval General Service Medal was awarded to him posthumously, likely at the request of his widow, Lady Franklin.

Napoleon has long held a special place in the memories of French Canadians and Acadians. Even in defeat, he embodies the greatness of France and the influence of its culture.  His legacy is reflected in the enduring popularity of the first names “Napoleon” and “Josephine” until the mid-20th century.  He is also found in the repertoire of traditional songs.

Our archives contain, in the form of recordings and transcripts, a dozen songs about the Emperor.  This one, for example, titled “Napoléon à Sainte-Hélène” (Napoleon at Saint Helena) or “Du temps que j’étais empereur” (Back When I Was Emperor), was collected by folklorist Marius Barbeau from Marie-Ange Dionne (née Breton) of Montréal in 1918.

One could easily mistake this portrait for one of Napoleon, what with the hairstyle and the hand tucked into the vest. Yet this is Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, a major figure in Canadian politics.

Proud of his resemblance to the Emperor, Lafontaine made a point of emphasizing it.  The intellectual and legal framework within which he worked — and to which he himself contributed — was, in fact, shaped by Napoleonic reforms.

After a distinguished political career, notably as premier of the Province of Canada, he was appointed chief justice of Lower Canada. The influence of the Napoleonic Code on the Civil Code of Québec — adopted in 1865, one year after his death — was decisive: it helped preserve the province’s distinct character in the face of British political domination.