Topic in focus: State visit to Britain

This portrait is a wooden engraving of Napoleon and Eugénie's reception from Prince Albert at Dover on April 16, and was reproduced on paper as a part of “Cassell’s Illustrated Family Paper”. This was a general interest newspaper that sought to record the events of the visit. Therefore, it highlights the newsworthiness and significance of the visit, and thus the prestige and respect that many in Britain felt towards the Emperor and Empress. This may be surprising, not only because of the general suspicion of anything ‘Bonaparte’ in Britain, but also because of the ongoing war, which one would expect to take precedence due to its international importance. As a result, it is possible that one reason for the visit was as a ‘circus’, meant to distract the populace from the aristocratic military elite’s disastrous failures logistically and tactically, as well as the slow progress in the ongoing Siege of Sevastopol.

The content of the portrait may support this interpretation, as the huge crowds could show the success of the event as a distraction, with pomp and ceremony that appeals to the masses. This is further amplified by the people who have come out in rowboats to see the imperial couple, which shows that the crowds were extremely large and that people would do anything to participate in the event. However, it is also possible that the huge crowds only demonstrates the massive popularity of the royals, and that there was a general patriotic enthusiasm for the war, especially less than a year into Britain and France’s involvement in the war.

In addition, this reception is filled with symbolism. The presence of Prince Albert, a highly influential and the second most senior member of the royal family, along with the bowing dignitaries, and large number of people removing their hats, shows the respect that the public had for Napoleon and Eugénie. As previously discussed, this is a clear contrast and surprise, given the rampant Francophobia present throughout all strata of British society in the wake of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. This is especially potent given the location of Dover. Due to Dover’s location adjacent to the thinnest part of the English Channel, it would have likely served at the landing point of any potential invasion of Napoleon I. Therefore, being welcomed by a British royal at the site his uncle never managed to reach would have clearly been a huge boost to Napoleon III and convinced him that France had been accepted as a great power.

Despite this, in the background, we can clearly notice huge Royal Navy ships. Perhaps they serve as a warning to the Emperor that he has been invited, and that any plans he had to invade would be foiled by the british.

Commemorating the visit of Napoleon III and the Empress Eugénie to England

Medal commemorating the visit of Napoleon III and the Empress Eugénie to England, 1855 (c) Royal Collection Trust

This copper commemorative medal, produced by T.R. Pinches, features on one side the busts of Napoleon and Eugénie, with the writing “Welcome to England”, and on the reverse flags and other symbolism, along with “To commemorate the visit of their Imperial Majesties the Emperor and Empress of France April 1855”.

The presence of their faces, the media of a circular medal, and the copper colour of the portrait, clearly harkens to the design of a standard British copper penny, once again demonstrating the prestige and respect given to the imperial couple - they are therefore equal in status to the Queen, whose bust would feature on all British coinage. 

Furthermore, the coin clearly has a hopeful tone that demonstrates the power and prestige of the Bonaparte dynasty. The crowned Bonaparte eagle rests ascendant above the busts, holding them up. This could possibly signify Napoleon’s attempt to consolidate the dynasty as a lasting and legitimate historical project, rather than just a personalist dictatorship under the guise of a monarchy. This is because the eagle, representing the dynasty, holds Napoleon up, and is literally above, and therefore more important than, Napoleon himself. As well as this, there are lines protruding from the eagle, creating the effect of a sunrise. This could represent the Bonapartes, and Napoleon III specifically, as a new, modernising and rejuvenating force that delivered France from the stagnant Ancien Regime - Napoleon III massively rebuilt Paris, modernised the railways and banking system, and introduced social reforms in the realms of education and labour. However, it could also symbolise the ‘new dawn’ for Anglo-French relations, and the hope for an end to the costly and bloody conflicts that had plagued the nations for centuries.

This hope for cooperation between France and Britain is a strong motif in this portrait. For instance, a wreath composed of roses, thistles and shamrocks features prominently on the front, surrounding Napoleon and Eugénie. These are national symbols of England, Scotland, and Ireland respectively (the three ‘kingdoms’ of the UK), and so their close proximity to and embrace around the Imperial Couple, demonstrates the affection felt for Napoleon and Eugénie amongst the British public, or, if you’re more cynical, Britain’s attempt to portray their wartime alliance as strong against the Russians. In my view, the cheering crowds and glowing praise from Queen Victoria seem to indicate that this was indeed reality rather than propaganda, at least amongst a portion of the population. 

However, there are clear indications that the medallion doesn’t just highlight lofty ideals of peace and international cooperation, but also the military might of the two empires. The flags on the reverse of the medal perhaps may just act as symbols for each nation; however, in such wartime periods, it is difficult to imagine that the flags of either nation could be separated from their use as military and imperial symbols. Through this lens, the closeness of each flag to each other shows not only civic affection, but also an unbreakable and indefatigable alliance that would prosecute the war until the end. This could have been caused by growing domestic dissatisfaction in both France and the UK, especially after such a high-profile disaster as the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Battle of Balaclava. 

Also, the aforementioned wreath bears a striking resemblance to the laurel wreath, a symbol of victory and triumph that dates back to Ancient Greece, and is commonly associated with Ancient Rome. It further reinforces the idea that both nations are committed to, and will achieve victory over Russia, however I think that its ancient connotations are equally important. Along with the fasces, which represents strength through unity and was the symbol of magisterial authority in Rome  implicitly lends legitimacy to the Napoleonic regime, by connecting it to ancient symbols of power, telling the public that he inherits his power from a polity that so many monarchical governments had tried to link themselves to. For example, the disparate principalities of Germany were officially the Holy Roman Empire, and both the Sultan in Constantinople and Tsar in St. Petersburg claimed to inherit the Roman Empire’s power via the Byzantines, as a “Third Rome”. The laurel wreath also evokes the image of Julius Caesar wearing the Roman civic crown - a figure often compared to Napoleon I, and to some extent Napoleon III, as all three men came to power in a somewhat similar fashion.

As well as this, Caesar was a great military general who conquered Gaul (modern-day France) for Rome. Therefore, it plays into Napoleon III’s own personal ambition, and arguably insecurity, about being seen as a great general in his own right, and not just a minor figure eclipsed by his uncle. This ambition is clearly seen throughout his life, whether that be his personal command of the French army during the Battle of Solferino in 1859 or in fact his desire to take command in Crimea, which was what caused the visit in the first place. Another sign of this is ‘Legion d’honneur’ situated in the centre of the medal - it is the highest order of merit in France, and therefore is subtly promoting Napoleon’s self-image as a gallant war hero. Interestingly enough, this need to prove oneself in battle seems to have been inherited by Napoleon III’s son, the Prince Imperial, who died fighting the Zulus in 1879. As a result, the medal could be seen to be part of the British government’s attempt to dissuade Napoleon from travelling to Crimea, by portraying him as someone who is already a military hero, and therefore has no need to prove himself in combat.

In conclusion, the medallion clearly paints Napoleon and Eugénie in a positive light, and seeks to portray cordial relations between France and Britain. From my perspective, this seems to derive from both genuine public enthusiasm and support for the alliance with France, as well as the British government’s desire to consolidate their alliance in order to strengthen their position within the war as well as at the negotiating table to procure a more favourable peace.