Napoleon's Bicorne Hat Rediscovered at Condé Museum After Over a Century

A bicorne hat belonging to Napoleon Bonaparte has been found after more than 100 years in storage at the Condé Museum, located within Château de Chantilly, approximately 25 miles north of Paris. The hat was part of Napoleon's belongings when he was exiled to Saint Helena in 1815. It entered the museum's holdings in the early 1900s but was archived and forgotten until last year, when it was uncovered during preparations for an upcoming exhibition on Napoleon's legacy. Following a detailed provenance investigation, the hat was revealed to the public on March 26. Mathieu Deldicque, the museum's director, described the find as a revelation, noting that its history from Napoleon's exile to the present is well-documented. Research conducted with the Musée de l'Armée confirmed the hat was crafted by Poupard, Napoleon's official hat-maker, and features proportions, a tricolor cockade, and silk-taffeta lining matching his specifications. Jean-Guillaume Parich, the museum's 19th-century collections curator, highlighted that the lining shows signs of perspiration, offering a poignant glimpse into the emperor's final years. Napoleon is estimated to have ordered between 60 and 80 bicornes during his career, wearing them sideways for distinctiveness, with about 15 authenticated examples mostly in French museums. In his 1821 will, Napoleon left items like his Austerlitz sword and two bicornes to his son, but Austrian authorities prevented the transfer, and after his son's death in 1832, the estate went to his sister, Caroline Murat, in 1836. Artifacts from Napoleon's era continue to attract high auction prices, with a bicorne setting a record of €1.9 million in 2023, and other items like his 1802 sword and a collection of Napoleonic objects fetching millions in recent sales. The exhibition 'Napoleon at Chantilly' is scheduled to run from June 6 to October 4, 2026, at Château de Chantilly.