The soldier has to like his condition, he has to give to it his taste and his honor; this is why fine uniforms are so useful.
Ictory on the battlefield inspires handsome uniforms, and in the days when the French imperial armies played their role on the European stage, there was an unparalleled deployment of rich costumes, a veritable explosion of panache. Never before in the history of France had the military uniform had such prestige. A Frenchman in uniform was a potential hero, a man who had fought in the four corners of Europe, and even as far as Egypt. The soldier was saluted when he left on a campaign and celebrated when he returned, often with new epaulettes and new tales to tell. The role model for the youth of this period was the newly promoted officer, that handsome, ambitious mustachioed man with a dashing uniform and the cross of the Legion d’Honneur.
The French army uniforms of the Republic and the Empire came from a long tradition rooted in the Ancien Regime and spelled out in the regulations of 1786. Military dress was modified only slightly between 1791 and 1812, with a few rules added from time to time to codify changes initiated by certain individuals. Napoleon personally attended to the details of most uniforms and prompted the establishment of new designs. “I cannot imagine,” he wrote to Berthier in 1803, “that you would want to do away with the plume and the baldric of the brigadier generals, or that you would change the color of the uniforms of the aides-de-camp.” There were royal blue, sky blue, green, scarlet, crimson, steel gray, and white uniforms with details that distinguished the different branches of service: regiments, elite troops, squadrons, and the men themselves. The love of soldiering inspired by the emperor instilled a strong esprit de corps.
Left: 169. Nicolas Hoffman (1740-1822), 13th Regiment Cavalry, formerly dVrleans. The cavalryman s regimentals are of the 1791 regulations of the Ancien Regime. Right: 170. Nicolas Hoffman, 68th Regiment Infantry, formerly de Beauce. This uniform conforms to the 1791 regulations of the Ancien Regime. (169,170: Musee de I’Emperi)
The Emperor
Napoleon himself dressed with extreme simplicity. Amidst his dazzling marshals and chiefs of staff he was easily distinguished by the modesty of his attire: a black bicorne, decorated only with a cockade, and a gray greatcoat, both of which became legendary. By nature, Napoleon was a frugal man who kept the expenses for his wardrobe within a certain budget. He insisted upon comfort over style and refused all clothing that hindered him. When the fashion was for tight-fitting, cramped styles, he had his tailors make clothes wide enough for him “to be able to put on with the most ease,” as his valet Constant remembered. Constant added that his employer s “only concern in clothing was for the quality of the material and convenience.” For the same reason, Napoleon s collars were lower than what fashion required. Once, as he was trying on a hunting outfit in front of Hugues Maret, the Secretary of State, he exclaimed: “It fits me well, so it looks good!” Murat, whose own extreme
Left: 171. Uniform of an officer of the Foot Grenadiers of the Imperial Guard; dark blue cloth, scarlet cuffs and collar, brass buttons embossed with the imperial eagle, c. 1806. Right: 172. Brigadier General in full undress uniform, c. 1800. (171,172: Musee de TEmperi)
Elegance was almost comic, teased his brother-in-law: “Sire, Your Majesty dresses like a fuddy-duddy; for mercy’s sake, give your faithful subjects an example of good taste.”
The simplicity of the emperor’s personal taste was intentional. While he derived much delight from the excess and extravagance of certain uniforms (which he had sometimes contributed to creating) worn by his entourage, he refrained from wearing them himself. He understood that his affectation of simplicity brought him closer to the common soldier, the mainstay of his armies.
Of all of Napoleon’s costumes, his various uniforms were his favorite. He wore the uniform of a colonel of the Foot Grenadiers of the Imperial Guard, usually on Sundays and for special occasions or dress parades. This consisted of an imperial blue coat, with white facings, red revers, and gold-embroidered colonel’s epaulettes. His usual dress was the regular uniform of a colonel of the chasseurs a cheval of the Imperial Guard: green with red collar and cuffs and piping. His gray infantry officer’s redingote, or greatcoat, was without ornamentation. As for his legendary ‘Tittle hat,” his bicorne, he ordered it from “Poupard, hatmaker, costumer and passementier to the Emperor and the Princes.” His outfitters sent him an average of eight hats a year. In later years, before 1815 and the fall of the Empire, front and back projections of the hat rose higher to follow the fashion.
World History
