An exhibition highlights Prince Victor Napoléon, little-known heir of Napoleon III

Until January 5, at the Maison Bonaparte the exhibition “Prince Victor Napoléon, donor of the Maison Bonaparte” is taking place. Heir to Napoleon III, he bequeathed part of the Bonaparte property to the State. However, he remains unknown to the general public.

On June 18, 1955, Victor Napoleon and Clémentine of Belgium were buried, with great pomp, in the imperial chapel in Ajaccio.

If the man remains unknown to the general public, he is the heir of the son of Napoleon III and could have reigned under the title of Napoleon V. But France lives under the regime of the Third Republic and Victor Napoleon is banned from the national territory in 1886.

From his exile, he retained little resentment since during his lifetime, he offered the State the imperial chapel, a veritable necropolis of the Bonapartes, the birthplace of Napoleon and its objects. A legacy accepted in 1924.

A century later, an exhibition pays tribute to this generous donor at the Maison Bonaparte in Ajaccio. “It is the prince who will bring the Bonaparte family into the 20th century. He is a prince who will not seek to reestablish the Empire in France, he respects the Republic, he is nevertheless exiled in Belgium. And then since he had a relatively less important political activity than his father and his grandfather, he will work all his life to build up a very beautiful collection relating to the glory of Bonaparte.”, explains Jean-Marc Olivesi, general curator of the Maison Bonaparte national museum.

The museum uses its own reserves for this exhibition. Several historical objects and souvenirs were also loaned by the grandson of Victor Napoleon, as intimate testimonies of their first owner.

“Among the objects that I lent for this exhibition, there is for example an inkwell, says Baudoin de Witt, grandson of Victor Napoleon. It was my grandfather’s inkwell and I have it on my work desk and I see it every day when I’m at my desk. It is of course a family memory and we think of the transmission of this family soul today and it is stronger here than elsewhere because we are in the family cradle. Even if part of the family couldn’t be here.”

Victor Napoléon’s legacy will encourage other donors to enrich the collections of the Bonaparte house. In particular certain island patrons. The exhibition is on display until January 5. It is part of a cycle of three exhibitions from the Malmaison national museums to which the Bonaparte house is attached.

The report by Caroline Ferrer and Stéphane Lapera: