Historic Map : Read Map of Saint Helena Island (Napoleon in Exile), 1815, Vintage Wall Art
Historic Map : Read Map of Saint Helena Island (Napoleon in Exile), 1815, Vintage Wall Art

Historic Map : Read Map of Saint Helena Island (Napoleon in Exile), 1815, Vintage Wall Art

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A remarkable 1815 map of the Island of Saint Helena, the fallen Emperor Napoleon Buonaparte's final place of exile, by Robert P. Read. After his June 18, 1815 defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon sought asylum from the British who promptly exiled him to the island of Saint Helena. Although despised by much of Europe, Napoleon also inspired admiration as the ultimate romantic hero – a persecuted, lonely, misunderstood genius. The English poet Lord Byron immortalized this popular conception of the exiled emperor in his Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte. This map was issued to capitalize on and satisfy this broad public interest in Buonaparte.

The map is beautifully executed. Oriented to the southeast, it portrays the remote Atlantic islands as a veritable fortress, surrounded by sheer mountains and reinforced by strategically placed cannon batteries, and British Royal Navy vessels patrolling the sea. The interior of the island, by contrast, is illustrated by verdant greenery, country farms, and gentlemanly estates – very much in the mold of the pleasant English countryside and an appropriate resting place for the romantic emperor's exile. Bonaparte's home one the island was Longwood, appearing here in the lower left quadrant of the island. The image suggests a lordly multistory mansion set in a bucolic forest. The residence was, in fact, the run down summer residence of the island's governor, which, although large, suffered from a brutally cold damp climate, and was, in any case, a far cry from Versailles. The site of Napoleon's tomb on the island, not far from Longwood, is identified in manuscript.

In the lower right corner of the map there are facsimiles of Napoleon's signature, first when First Consul, and another when Emperor. There is a manuscript signature in the right margin of the map identifying the original owner, one Andrew Bloram, of which we have been able to glean little.

Sku: 5253563_1824__M03

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★★★★★

I purchased an historic map, 16x24 inch. It is beautifully printed on heavy stock. The lettering, colors, and details of the map are crisp and easy to read. I am highly satisfied and would certainly purchase from Historic Pictoric again!

Kent A.
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Ordered the Pan American Midway print to fit a lovely thrift-store gilded frame. I love showing off Buffalo's rich history and this is a pretty entertaining photo from 1901. Prompt shipping. Sturdy packaging.

Cindy O.
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I received my print within days of ordering, and it arrived well packed in a mailing tube. The print is high quality and exactly as advertised. I will use Historic Pictoric again in the future!

Cheryl H.
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Excellent product. Great fidelity in reproduction of the original. Fine/minute details were sharp, colors were vibrant, and thickness, texture and overall feel and quality of the paper were excellent. Very satisfied with my purchase.

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I have purchased six maps from Historic Pictoric. I find the quality to be excellent. Their customers service is also excellent. Outstanding! I called to exchange a few for different sizes and I could not have asked for a better experience.

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The original map I ordered lacked some of the detail that I had hoped for, but they responded with several more map possibilities to choose from. Excellent service- a far step beyond what anyone expects from online purchases.

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I am a owner of 5 maps from Historic Pictoric. From Okinawa, 1945, Europe 1940-1945 battle maps. Now they’re helping me with the battle of Gettysburg. These maps are so much superior to the map on a page in a book. I have framed two of them.

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Great heavy paper quality and clarity of my nautical map. Will be a great addition to our home close to the beach!

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