Napolean's hat from the Russian Campaign
Poupard et Delaunay, Hatters to the Palais Royal Active in Paris, early 19th c.
About 1812
Felt, silk, fabric
This is one of two cocked hats worn by Napoleon during the Russian campaign. The Musée de l'Armée in Paris has the second one. The hat is noteworthy for its double silk lining, specifically designed for the Russian winter.
Authenticated by the handwritten document beside it and displayed in a contemporary box, the hat was initially preserved by Jacques Dulud and his wife Marie-Louise Vallerand, launderers to the Emperor's household. The hat is the exact image of those worn by Napoleon, ordered from his hatters Poupard and Delaunay: it has two points, is made of thin felt and adorned with a small tricolor cockade.
In order to be easily recognizable on the battlefield, Napoleon wore his hat "broadside on", the brim aligned with his shoulders, whereas his officers wore theirs "fore and aft", the other way around. The cocked hat became the Emperor's principal attribute in the collective imagination.
Napolean's hat from the Russian Campaign
Poupard et Delaunay, Hatters to the Palais Royal Active in Paris, early 19th c.
About 1812
Felt, silk, fabric
This is one of two cocked hats worn by Napoleon during the Russian campaign. The Musée de l'Armée in Paris has the second one. The hat is noteworthy for its double silk lining, specifically designed for the Russian winter.
Authenticated by the handwritten document beside it and displayed in a contemporary box, the hat was initially preserved by Jacques Dulud and his wife Marie-Louise Vallerand, launderers to the Emperor's household. The hat is the exact image of those worn by Napoleon, ordered from his hatters Poupard and Delaunay: it has two points, is made of thin felt and adorned with a small tricolor cockade.
In order to be easily recognizable on the battlefield, Napoleon wore his hat "broadside on", the brim aligned with his shoulders, whereas his officers wore theirs "fore and aft", the other way around. The cocked hat became the Emperor's principal attribute in the collective imagination.