Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo is a major marker in European history, as is the French Revolution is. In fact, the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, herald to the Revolution, and the Battle Waterloo, imminent end of the Napoleonic wars, are the bookends of an era whose heritage is visible throughout French law and society. It’s an era that historians get into fisticuffs about and that tourists are endlessly curious about, or should be.

For much of the world—except perhaps the British, proud of Wellington’s victory as an important step in their own 19th imperial dynamics—Waterloo speaks far more about the fall of Napoleon and of France’s ambitions in Europe under his leadership than it does of the victory of the forces allied against him and against France. An extended period or peace between the monarchies of Europe ensued, though within that peace were fault lines and ambitions that would eventually burst into flames, repeatedly, within and along the borders of the convenient meeting ground of Belgium.

For the American reader, few will recall that George III, routed by the American colonies and their French support three decades (Treaties of Paris and of Versailles, 1783), was still on the throne of his re-expanding kingdom in 1815. Or, more to the point, that George III’s Britain was so trigger happy after the first fall of Napoleon that they burnt Washington, DC to the ground. Or that the Congress of Vienna of 1814-1815 and the Battle of Waterloo were major steps in Prussia’s rise to power in Europe. Important history indeed. But while Napoleon lost the battle he perennially appears on the cover of The Men of Europe calendar. George III? Frederic William III? They don’t even get their birthdays mentioned. James Madison, President of the United States at the time? Who knew?

At Waterloo, Napoleon and his 73,000 men went to battle with 68,000 forces allied under the Duke of Wellington, including soldiers of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, forces from other places where George III had friends and family, and soldiers of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, none of whose leaders cared much for French homogeny and civil order and the threat of a French-style separation of Church and State. Field Marshal Blücher and 50,000 Prussian forces arrived in the afternoon to turn the tide of battle against the French.

Having witnessed the defeat of his strategy and the devastation of his troops (25,000 French dead and wounded) Napoleon returned wearily to Paris where he was soon forced to abdicate (June 22). He eventually surrendered himself to the British and was taken to England before being shipped off to Saint Helena in the South Atlantic to prepare his memoires. He died there in 1821 at age 51. Meanwhile, Louis XVIII was restored to the throne of France, a kingdom forced into its pre-Napoleon borders of 1790.

Waterloo led to Napoleon’s second and final abdication. His first took place on April 6, 1814, following a series of victories by the allied coalition and the occupation of a city whose name is no longer associated with Napoleonic defeat (hint: Paris). He was sent to the Isle of Elba, a small Mediterranean island between Italy and Corsica, along with his personal guard of hundreds of faithful troops. There, Emperor of Elba, he was kept abreast of happenings in Europe and state of affairs in France. Aware of the struggle in France between the heirs of the Ancien Regime and the heirs of the Revolution (Napoleon was heir to the latter) and of France’s diminished place on the world (European) stage, he felt that France couldn’t live without him and that he couldn’t live without France.

Less than a year later into his first exile, Napoleon, having gained a few pounds while on sabbatical, escaped Elba on Feb. 26, 1815 with his band of faithful guards and landed in Golfe Juan, a fishing village 12 miles east of Cannes on March 1. Over the next eight days he and his men, skirting as much as possible the royalists of Provence, he advanced north, gathering troops and other supporters along the way, particularly on the approach to Gap, where he was greeted as a savior. He arrived in Grenoble on March 8. From there, having rallied the French troops that had been sent out by Louis XVIII to arrest him, the route back to the imperial throne of France was all his. Upon his arrival in Paris on March 20, the Flight of the Eagle, as it became know, “from bell tower to bell tower until the towers of Notre-Dame,” was complete.

The route that Napoleon took from the coast to Grenoble, eventually more or less followed by National Route 85, has been labeled La Route Napoléon since 1932. Dozens of towns and villages (including Portoferraio on the Isle of Elba) along 195 miles of coastal, mountain and valley road—Cannes, Mougins, Grasse, Sisteron, Digne, Gap, Grenoble, to name the best known along the route—promote their affiliation with the emperor. They’ve naturally pulled out all the stops this year, with reenactments during the anniversary dates in March and festivities through the spring and summer. Itineraries have now been created to follow portions on foot and, for the portion from Grasse to Grenoble, on horseback.

In honor of the bicentennial of his passage through the region, one of the historic perfumers in Grasse, Galimard, has released Napoleon 1815, a new fragrance for men. The emperor was known to wear a lot of cologne, so associating the emperor with a fragrance makes sense.

One might expect a musky, woody fragrance but what one first registers with Galimard’s Napoleon 1815 is its sweeter side, the citrus, orange blossom and rose and a hint of fig, before detecting the leather boots set beside a camp bed beneath a cedar tree on a warm day along the Mediterranean. Chantal Roux, the fragrance’s creator, says “We wanted to enter into the softer side of Napoleon.” So instead of the little corporal in kinship with his battle buddies, one encounter (or becomes) the emperor as seducer on a walk with a lady on a garden path.

Galimard is a family-owned perfumer created in Grasse in 1747 by Jean de Galimard, who produced perfumes used to scent gloves—the fashion at the time—along with pomades and olive oils. Napoleon 1815 is available at Galimard’s factory-museum-boutiques in Grasse and in Eze-Village and through Galimard’s website for 65€ per 100ml atomizer. The installations in Grasse and Eze offer free tours, and at Eze visitors can take part in a brief cologne-making workshop (10€) so as to blend your own cologne. More extensive perfume initiations and workshops are available at both Grasse and Eze.

I might have written about the perfume during the bicentennial commemorations of his victorious return from exile rather on the anniversary of his momentous defeat at Waterloo. But as I said earlier, it isn’t French defeat that Waterloo represents today so much as the life and times of Napoleon himself, a powerful whiff of history that continues to pervade France.

© 2015, Gary Lee Kraut

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Napoleon, as Bonaparte then as emperor, marked an era and much that came after. He also marked many towns, giving them letters of nobility—towns that now perpetuate his memory with more or less success.

The desire to promote the Napoleonic history of such places has given rise to the European Federation of Napoleonic Cities (Fédération Européenne des Cités Napoléoniennes), created by (Prince) Charles Napoléon, the oldest surviving male heir of Napoleon’s youngest brother Jerome.

The federation brings together European towns and cities whose history has been marked by Napoleon’s influence and that are willing to develop activities along three main lines: promoting exchanges on Napoleonic history by setting up meetings, seminars and publications in association with universities; supporting and promoting actions to preserve and restore Napoleonic heritage (objects, works of art, furniture, monuments, sites, etc.); developing and conducting activities that present that heritage in a positive light (exhibitions, arts events, discovery tours, especially in tourist and academic exchanges).

The desire to promote these activities with a recognizable logo has led to the creation of the trademark “Ville Impériale,” Imperial City. Associated French towns and cities whose heritage relates to the Empire, as the period of Napoleon’s reign is known, can identify themselves as such to the general public and to tourists with the new trademark and logo.

Leading the way in this effort is the town of Rueil-Malmaison, a western suburb of Paris, whose history is indelibly marked by the presence of the Chateau de Malmaison, once home to Napoleon and Josephine, his first wife.

Patrick Ollier, mayor of Rueil-Malmaison, Frédéric Lefebvre, French tourism minister, Charles Napoléon, and the mayors of Compiègne, Fontainebleau and Saint-Cloud came together in Rueil on October 21, 2011, to unveil “Ville Impériale” trademark and logo.

Josephine purchased Malmaison in 1799. Renovated between 1800 and 1802, the chateau frequently housed the couple through Napoleon’s reign as First Consul. In 1804 he declared himself Emperor Napoleon I and often required a larger setting to receive his imperial court; nevertheless he and Josephine continued to return to Malmaison until their divorce in 1809. Josephine then lived there until her death in 1814. The chateau today very much reflects the decorative spirit of the Consulate and of the Empire.

The towns and chateaux of Compiègne, Fontainebleau and Saint-Cloud, all within easy reach of Paris, also played important roles during the Empire.

Those behind the “Ville Impériale” trademark are now looking to rally other towns and cities to the cause of putting forward their Napoleonic past with the associated trademark and logo.

The logo promises to bring together history, culture and tourism and will perhaps give rise to a global approach to Napoleon. It’s a label that might well serve as a model for other heritage initiatives.

The Imperial Guard was present at Rueil-Malmaison for the unveiling of the new logo on Oct. 21, 2011, complete with music and canon fire.

Original text in French  by Georges Levet, Secretary of the French Association of Heritage Journalists, Association des journalistes du patrimoine.
Loosely adapted into English for France Revisited by Gary Lee Kraut.

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You see, Henri’s dreams are filled with gold thread, plush red velour and the seats of power. The décor in the royal apartments at Versailles may be too gaudy even for Henri’s taste, yet the scent of royalty and of noble etiquette is the finest of perfumes to his French nostrils.

So the thought that I, an American who owned a GI Joe doll when he was 4, would be invited to the throne exhibition before it opened to the public was as vexing to Henri as a French chef telling a Texan how to barbecue ribs.

“Speaking of saddles,” I said when he ask if I’d seen “True Grit,” “you really should see the exhibition ‘Thrones in Majesty’ at Versailles. I called to see if you wanted to meet the curator with me for a private tour but the line was busy so I figured you were still trying to deal with that little problem of yours.”

The latter was a lie, and I don’t know what little problem he might have been having, but it was enough to bring out hives on his neck. That’s the entire difference between college French and actual Parisian: the former teaches you how to engage in conversation, the latter teaches you how to put someone down.

“I saw ‘Black Swan,’ he said. “Good acting but I didn’t care for much for the story.”

“Yes, well it’s too bad that you weren’t available to go with me to see the thrones. I had the Hall of Mirrors to myself.”

“The exhibition will be there until June 19,” I continued, “but if I were you I’d try to get there by Easter. After that the crowds will make it difficult to see the thrones. After those recent exhibitions relative to the chateau’s decorative splendor or kitsch, the display of the thrones gives an eerie sense of the emptiness of a power once it’s gone.”

“I don’t need a lesson in French history from an American.”

“Not just French, Henri, there are other thrones as well: Chinese, Papal, Polish, African, Incan.”

“I know,” he said, “I’ve seen the catalogue.”

“Yes, I’m sure the catalogue is beautiful. Some people are content with that. Personally I prefer the real thing—but that’s just me. And you’d love to see the throne of the Russian Emperor Paul I. Aren’t you the one with that quaint little collection of copies of Russian imperial Champagne glasses?”

“Yes, you would have those glasses on Saturday if I’d invited you to my dinner party, but it was just for a few close friends.”

Parisians hate when you out-French them.

“You have close friends now?” I said. “How nice for you. Anyway, you really should see the thrones, if not by Easter then at least by May, especially to get an uncrowded view of Napoleon’s throne in front of David’s painting of the Coronation of Napoleon.”

“As a matter of fact,” he said, “I’m planning on going to exhibition right after I return from my weekend with friends who have a chateau in Burgundy. You wouldn’t know them.”

“But you wouldn’t want to go right after the weekend, Henri—the chateau of Versailles is closed on Monday. The gardens remain open through.”

“Yes, I’ve been there many times.”

“Perhaps, but not like this…”

Thrones in Majesty, Chateau de Versailles, March 1-June 19, 2011. Open 9am-5:30pm until March 31, 9am-6:30pm beginning April 1. Entrance: 15€ (chateau+exhibition), including audioguide. To get to Versailles from Paris take RER C to Versailles-Rive Gauche (last stop). The chateau is 10-minute walk from the station.

© 2011, Gary Lee Kraut

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Eugène-François Vidocq (1775-1857) was a police detective who practiced his craft in early 19th-century France. In view of his earlier life as a reformed criminal, he was Victor Hugo’s inspiration for both Jean Valjean and Inspector Javert in Les Misérables. Vidocq founded and was first director of the Sûreté, forerunner of France’s national investigative service, the Police Jucidiare. The Sûreté was so far ahead of it time that Sir Robert Peel modeled Scotland Yard after it. Vidocq’s use of innovative investigative methods and his successes made him among the most famous personalities of his day.

Lunch on President’s Day 1990 attended by three forensic experts spawned a Philadelphia organization named in Vidocq’s honor. As often happens when forensic experts meet, the conversation on that day quickly turned to crimes, solved and unsolved. The extended, academic discussion prompted the diners to formalize their meetings and invite crime professionals, active and retired, to try to solve “cold” cases over lunch.

The Vidocq Society has been convening every month at the Downtown Club for 18 years. Today, it boasts more than 160 members in the U.S., Europe and the Far East, including prominent investigators, government and private, as well as internationally-renowned forensic experts in the fields of pathology, criminology, dactylography (fingerprints), forensic dentistry, psychology, polygraphy, and anthropological facial reconstruction. The District Attorney of Philadelphia, several past and current federal prosecutors, and luminaries at the bar are members, along with persons having no formal credentials save an interest in mysteries.

The Society offers pro bono advice to any law enforcement agency with an especially difficult unsolved case. In response to a demonstrable need over the years, members of the Society have presented free “cold case” homicide seminars for investigators around the country. At a black tie dinner each fall, the Society presents medals to recognize remarkable achievements in the art of investigation. Past honorees include a number of Philadelphia homicide detectives for a wide range of cases. In connection with new investigation leading to the confession of Marie Noe to smothering eight of her 10 children between 1949 and 1968, the Society recognized Stephen Fried, former editor of Philadelphia magazine, the late Dr. Halbert Fillinger, former Montgomery County coroner, and former medical examiner investigator Joseph McGill.

Every month over dessert, a Vidocq Society member or a guest presents facts and evidence concerning an unsolved homicide. Society members pose clarifying questions and offer suggestions. Presenters often come away with new avenues of inquiry even in cases unsolved for more than a decade and where witnesses are missing or known to be dead. Many cases are contributed by small police departments with modest investigative resources.

Homicides unsolved in the “first 48” (hours) are exponentially more difficult to crack. Society members offer a fresh look at the case and act as a catalyst among police, prosecutors, and the family, to prompt interest in a renewed inquiry. Typical questions from members to detectives include whether they searched for ‘doer’s’ nucleic skin cells, whether old property has been reclaimed for DNA analysis, and whether old polygraph charts have been preserved for review of “cleared” suspects.

A few examples of the more than 150 cases the Society has considered formally illustrate the range and challenges of cold cases.

In 1992, James Dunn brought the Society the case of his son, Scott, last seen alive in Lubbock, Texas the previous year. A cursory search by local police of the apartment Scott shared with his girlfriend Leisha Hamilton disclosed no evidence of foul play. Hamilton seemed unconcerned with Scott’s disappearance, and because no body was found, the case was relegated to the missing person category. On the other hand, Mr. Dunn was convinced that Scott was murdered in the apartment because of a crudely cut and replaced piece of carpet the police had found there. At his prompting, the police conducted a Luminol examination; that is, a chemical search of the apartment intended to reveal blood evidence under special lighting. The presence of blood was found but not enough to persuade the local prosecutor that there was evidence of anything more than a fight. Vidocq Society member and former Philadelphia Homicide Commander Frank Friel suggested that, if the area of carpet removed and replaced was sufficiently large, an expert could testify that the volume of blood on it would be inconsistent with life. With Vidocq Society help, such an expert opinion was obtained. Additional investigation by member and former Michigan Department of Corrections forensic psychologist Richard Walter helped Lubbock detectives obtain indictments of Hamilton and her new boyfriend in November 1996. Hamilton was convicted of murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Her boyfriend was tried and convicted of a lesser charge.

On Nov. 30, 1984, Drexel University student Deborah Wilson was found strangled in a stairwell outside a computer lab without her shoes and socks. Eight years later, Philadelphia Police Homicide Division Sgt. Robert Snyder and retired FBI agent Andrew Sloane presented the case at the Vidocq Society. Snyder noted that the police considered a Drexel University security guard to be the prime suspect, but evidence did not develop to charge him. Former forensic psychologist Walter developed a psychological profile that again pointed to the security guard. Dr. Fillinger, a former coroner, suggested that the ligature might have cells enough for DNA testing. Other members suggested new interviews of the suspect’s wife or girlfriend about any foot fetishes. As the suspect had enlisted in the U.S. Army after leaving employment at Drexel, Society members suggested a review of military records. They disclosed a number of complaints and, crucially, the suspect’s dishonorable discharge after court martial for stealing women’s sneakers and socks. The suspect’s ex-wife told the detectives her husband kept a collection of women’s sneakers. Former security guard David Dickson Jr., who came to be known as “Dr. Smell,” was arrested and convicted of murder in 1995.

On a Saturday morning in February 1984, Terry Brooks, the assistant manager of a Roy Rogers restaurant at Fairless Hills, Pa., was found brutally stabbed, beaten, strangled and asphyxiated in the restaurant’s kitchen. She was to have closed the restaurant the night before. The safe was found open with little money in it, and Brooks was found with her coat on. After 14 years, no suspect had been identified. Detective Sgt. Win Cloud, of the Falls Township  Police Department presented the case to the Vidocq Society. His department had many suspects but the evidence connected no one to the crime. Several significant suggestions were offered by members. Member and retired Philadelphia Police Department Major Crimes Detective Edward Gaughan was assigned to further assist Sgt. Cloud. With the help of profiler Walter, the team identified and located a previously unknown boyfriend of Brooks. A trash run at his residence developed DNA from a cigarette butt. The boyfriend’s DNA matched DNA collected from the fingernail scrapings taken from Brooks years before. The boyfriend was picked up by the police and polygraphed by Vidocq polygraph experts Nate Gordon and me. After failing the examination, he confessed to the police, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

In 2004, Detectives from the Hudson, Wisc., Police Department came to Philadelphia to brief the Society on a puzzling 2002 double homicide of funeral director and his 22-year-old intern. Traveling to Wisconsin, Vidocq member and former profiler Richard Walter reviewed the case file and profiled the killer. Based on the file, Walter suggested that detectives interview a priest who appeared at the funeral home crime scene while police still were there. Walter felt something about the priest’s reported demeanor and subsequent interview was suspicious. Detectives re-interviewed the priest, who had been transferred to another parish after the murders. Concluding from the interview that the suspect knew more about the crime than expected, they developed significant information that implicated him in the murders. Within days of his final interview, the priest hung himself. It was learned that he had confided in a church deacon who had not come forward. Based on team work with Vidocq Society members, a “John Doe Hearing” convened at which the sitting judge ruled that the dead priest was most likely the killer of both victims.

Much more than a gathering of individuals fascinated by murder and mayhem, the Vidocq Society today is an expert organization devoted to serving the public by discovering the truth, some of it fairly old. Fittingly, the Society’s motto is Veritas Veritatum—truth begets truth. In support of, rather than in competition with, law enforcement agencies, Philadelphia’s Vidocq Society considers its proceedings a practical expression of the tradition started by the world’s first great detective, Eugène-François Vidocq.

…

This article first appeared in The Philadelphia Lawyer (Winter 2009), the Philadelphia Bar Association Quarterly Magazine. It is published here with permission.

William L. Fleisher is a former Philadelphia Police Officer, FBI Special Agent who later became the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Customs Service in Philadelphia. Long fascinated by the life of Eugène-François Vidocq, Fleisher was the prime mover behind the creation of the Vidocq Society, www.vidocq.org. Fleisher is a principal of Keystone Intelligence Network, a private investigation and polygraph firm.

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