Tales, Trivia, and Other Tidbits:

A Glimpse of
Napoleon's Silly Side


Mademoiselle George was a beautiful, young Parisian actress who is most remembered for her role as Napoleon's mistress from 1802 -1804.

More than twenty years younger than Josephine at the time, Mlle George seems to have brought out a side of Napoloen seldom seen in most histories. This is excerpted from Edith Saunders' Napoleon and Mademoiselle George, and describes some of Napoleon's antics during this affair:

"They were in love and they were light-hearted. "My Georgina, do you really love me? Are you happy?' the Consul would ask. "He knew very well,' the actress writes, "that I would have died for him.' But soon youth and high spirits would prevail over sentiment. One reason why Georgina found the first Consul such an ideal lover was that he shared her taste for a good romp. They had, too, identical, and very youthful, senses of humor.

One night Georgina arrived with a wreath of white roses placed on her dark and glossy curls. Napoleon promptly took it off and put it on his own head, and pranced about the room in it, then stood before a mirror admiring himself, grimacing and making absurd remarks while Georgina watched, helpless with laughter. He would not part with the wreath, but made her sing a love duet from one of the operas with him; together they parodied the song until laughter overcame them so they had to stop. In such ways they would amuse themselves for hours on end.

On another occasion, Constant [Napoleon's valet] greeted Georgina on her arrival at the palace by telling her that the Consul was waiting for her upstairs. This is a description of that event in her own words:

"I went up, but no one was there. I looked in all the rooms. I called out, but there was no answer. I rang the bell.

"Constant, has the Consul gone downstairs again?'

"No, Madame. Have a good look for him.' And he made a sign for me, pointing to the door of the boudoir. The Consul was there, hiding underneath a heap of cushions and laughing like a schoolboy."

More Tales and Trivia


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