Toothbrush and Slippers

We’re home from our March travels to Paris and Corsica.   First, I had to catch up all I’d missed while away; now I’m struggling to prepare for our month-long St Helena voyage in May.  Meanwhile, there’s tons more to write about Paris and Corsica.  So stick with me—the adventure has just begun!

One of my early posts (Personal Details, March 8, 2011) described the writing process as a search for details that bring a character to life.  The Napoleon Museum in Chateau Fontainebleau outside of Paris supplied artifacts along that line.  For example, here’s Napoleon’s traveling kit the French eloquently call a nécessaire, containing his surprisingly modern toothbrush and all the conveniences of a bathroom cabinet neatly packed for battlefield excursions.

And the slippers I wondered about in that early blog post?  Here, too, in the Fontainebleau collection, are the elegant slippers he wore when emperor.  He often claimed to find small hands and feet attractive in a woman, and was reportedly vain about his own.  These slippers are long and narrow, in fact, almost feminine in shape.  They reminded me by contrast of what I’d read about French soldiers’ boots.  In Napoleon’s time, they were made in just three sizes—small, medium and large—and there was no distinction between right and left foot.  Yet, these hardy men tromped twenty miles a day over the Alps and even to Moscow.

Ultimately, for me, Napoleon’s bicorne hat floating above his signature gray overcoat was Fontainebleau’s most disconcerting display.  It drove home the job I’ve set myself:  to render this elusive ghost into a flesh-and-blood man.

2 thoughts on “Toothbrush and Slippers”

  1. I absolutely love the tricornee with nobody in it. That’s your leitmotif for your travels!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.