Napoleon And The Chappe Telegraph. Straw.

Straw marquetry table with symbolic decoration of the love correspondence of Napoleon and Joséphine de Beauharnais via the Chappe telegraph. Beginning of the 19th century. Dimensions without frame: 20cm by 15.5cm. Good condition, rear frame. The work of great finesse presents a landscape animated by different characters including the emperor on horseback receiving a mail from a soldier. The famous Chappe telegraph dominates the distant landscape. A little Cupid, messenger of love, is also present. Engineer Chappe's telegraph transmitted his first dispatch on August 26, 1794 to announce a military victory at the Convention. The First Consul very impressed by the capacities of this new vector of communication decides to control it and no messages are transmitted without his signed order.In 1805 on the occasion of his stay in Italy, Napoleon activates the telegraph line until Milan to be able to correspond with Joséphine who remained at Malmaison. The famous Lepaute pendulum called "with the telegraph" kept at the Palais Rohan in Strasbourg recalls the setting of the telegraph in 1798 which relayed news of the victories of the grand army in the battles with Prussia to Paris. There is the same symbolism of love correspondence. Napoleon did not hesitate to use the telegraph for his torrid correspondence as recounted in this curious little picture full of charm.