In the empress's bedroom
It's as fascinating as it is lavish--the Château de Malmaison in the western Parisian suburb
of Reuil-Malmaison. Once the imperial demeure of Napoléon I and his wife Joséphine,
the château's furnishings embody the transitioning from Louis XVI style of decoration to the
Directoire (1795 - 1799), then Consulat (1799 -1804), and ultimately to the very Napoleonic
style Empire. The seventeenth-century château was purchased by Joséphine in 1799 and richly
redecorated by the imperial couple after their marriage in 1804. Divorced by Bonapart in 1809
because the couple could not conceive an heir, Joséphine, who was allowed to keep her title as
empress, continued to reside there until her death in 1814. Her red bedroom with its decor
reminiscent of a sumptuous encampment, was faithfully reconstituted in 1861 through 1870 by
Napoléon III. A national museum, the imperial palace is a treasure trove of Napoleonic
history, collections, and memorabilia.
©2026 P. B. Lecron
