I am offering a set of three original 19th-century lithographs, published in Paris by Jean-Baptiste Lordereau, depicting the Return to Paris of the Ashes of Napoleon I (15 December 1840).
1-Opening of Napoleon I’s coffin at Saint Helena, 15 October 1840 This lithograph depicts the opening of the coffin in the Valley of the Geranium cemetery, in the presence of French and British authorities. The moment is rendered with dramatic intensity: the witnesses discover Napoleon’s body, still astonishingly well preserved after nearly twenty years. Widely reported in contemporary accounts, this scene reinforced the almost legendary character of the Emperor and contributed to the romantic aura of his return to France.
2-Departure of Napoleon’s body from Saint Helena, 18 October 1840 This plate illustrates the moment of departure from the island of Saint Helena, where Napoleon had died in 1821. The coffin, draped with the French tricolour, is carried to the frigate La Belle Poule, sent by France to repatriate the imperial remains. The scene, filled with emotion, combines the island landscape with the solemnity of the funeral procession, recalling the Emperor’s long exile and the symbolic significance of his return to his homeland.
3-Napoleon in the funeral chapel at Les Invalides This lithograph represents the solemn moment when the Emperor’s coffin, borne on the shoulders of grenadiers, is carried into the funeral chapel erected beneath the dome of Les Invalides. In the background, King Louis-Philippe, surrounded by dignitaries, appears to give his instructions for the organisation of the ceremony. The composition highlights the contrast between military pomp and religious gravity, underlining the July Monarchy’s desire to appropriate the Napoleonic legacy.
All three lithographs bear, at the bottom of the composition, a bilingual caption in French and Spanish, attesting to the international diffusion of this historic event.
Published in Paris by Jean-Baptiste Lordereau on the occasion of the Return of Napoleon I’s Ashes in 1840, these lithographs bear witness to the popular fervour and immense resonance of the event. Widely circulated from the end of 1840, they were offered both as single plates and as series. Their success illustrates the central role of lithographic imagery in shaping Napoleonic memory in the 19th century. Lordereau, a Parisian print dealer and lithographer, seized the opportunity to establish his position in the popular print market. His works are distinguished by the clarity of their visual narrative and by the presence of bilingual captions, in French and Spanish, which favoured international diffusion, particularly in Latin countries receptive to the imperial myth.
The lithographs are preserved under glass (the glass is of the period) and framed in fine antique walnut mouldings. The paper shows some signs of age but, all things considered, the prints may be regarded as being in good condition.
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