File:Meissonier, his life and his art (1897) (14591215577).jpg

Identifier: meissonierhislif00meis (find matches)
Title: Meissonier, his life and his art
Year: 1897 (1890s)
Authors: Meissonier, Jean Louis Ernest, 1815-1891 Gréard, Octave, 1828-1904
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Publisher: New York : A. C. Armstrong
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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of the Medaillede St. Helene was a sadblow to him. Having noright to it, he could notcontinue to put on uni-form, and go with theother old fellows to lay hiswreath at the foot of theColumn on the 5 th ofMay. Up till tlien he hadbeen able to appear in theuniform of any regiment inwhich he had known sol-diers ; he would talk withthe greatest coolness ofhis battles and campaigns !When he lived at Chantillyhe had a garret which hehad arranged as a soldiersroom, the room of some trumpeter of dragoons quartered in a cottage.The wall was stuck over with pictures of soldiers, the bed made assoldiers make theirs, the clothes hung up in order, the arms wellfurbished and hung up too, ready to hand. An imitation piece ofammunition bread lay on the table ; and in a corner of the room,classed and ticketed as in a museum, were all the mementoes of the ^J-^T^^ ^i^^^j! k ^Ki \»3C^r55 ^i\ ^ttV^ AwSSa a!tv • uL^\ S;t:\ » ^^B M ^^\ Plw f. / m; -,,^SJ pl -^K^ AN OFFICER. (Washed Drawing.) MEMORIES 289
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P P 290 MEISSONIER Republic and the Emiiirc he had collected. He was fond of making-believe, now and tlien, that he was an officer in some particular regi-ment, and then the uniform of that regiment would be laid out, withthe helmet and the whole equipment, just as if the soldier servanthad got them ready for him. . . . He kept up the same habits when h(; moved to Verneuil. He wouldput his brother, his nephews, and so forth, into old uniforms, and orderthem about in military fashion. This mania of his really made the man interesting. Like allenthusiastic people, he was exceedingly touchy. It occurred to me, oneNew Years Day, to send him, in acknowledgement of all he had donefor me, a large case of carefully selected dainties. He abused me likea pickpocket. I had to make every kind of excuse, to say But mydear M. Pillardeau, I never dreamt of offending you ! The thing isconstandy done, friends often send each other presents ! In the matter of a Universal Exhibition the national feeling

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