Museo Napoleonico Cuba

Some photos from my visit to the Napoleon Museum in Havana, Cuba. As a huge enthusiast of Napoleonic history, and a fervent Bonapartist, imagine my surprise when walking the streets of Havana with my wife during our honeymoon we unexpectedly came across this incredible Museum. I didn't even know of its existence until setting eyes on it!
It may seem strange that Havana has one of the most important Napoleonic museums in the world, but the fantastic collection was built up by a wealthy collector of Napoleonic artifacts, which was then nationalised after the Revolution when the aristocrats had to flee Cuba. I was blown away by some of the exhibits. Well worth a visit if you are ever in Cuba.

I really liked this painting showing captured Mameluke standards being presented to the victorious commander after the battle of the Pyramids. I thought I knew most of the period paintings of Napoleonic battles, but this was an image I had never seen before.

Any resemblance?

These would make an impressive wargames army!

1) French Carabinier breastplate and helmet, 2) Russian infantry uniform and musket.

Officers Shako, 24th Ligne Regiment.

In battle this hat was worth 40,000 men!

Napoleons pocket watch, and his desk from the Palace at Fontainebleau.

The actual bed that he died in, on St Helena, and his death mask. I became extremely emotional when viewing these.

The Six Napoleons

I suppose its only fitting that my first post should feature the great commander himself, Napoleon Bonaparte. Much of the events & battles covered in this Blog will centre around Boney one way or another, so its only fair that he gets to appear first.

Here are all my Napoleon 1/72 figures to date, which include a number of conversions. The observant will spot that there are actually seven Napoleon bases below, but two of them are the same model (the camel mounted Napoleon detaches from his mount and also sits on the white horse to the left, which is the base I use for the little Corporal in his Italian campaigns), and in any case I wanted there to number six Napoleons as this is the title for one of my favourite Sherlock Holmes stories!!!

From left to right these figures are Bonaparte at the siege of Toulon, at the Bridge of Arcole, in Egypt, at the battle of Austerlitz, at the battle of Borodino, and the battle of Waterloo.


The next photos show the converted Napoleon's.
In the 1st photo the only addition are the plumes in the raised bicorne. Both are Strelets figures.
The 2nd is converted from the Marshal Berthier figure in the Zvezda command set which a fatter stomach added to better represent Napoleon's more corpulent physique at Waterloo. The Imperial Guardsman is from the same set and ADC figure is from the Italeri command set with a converted bicorne.
The 3rd photo shows Bonaparte during the first & second Italian campaigns, again with a converted bicorne, this time added to an Italeri Austrian General, and mounted on a white charger. This is the Napoleon that sits comfortably on the camel as and when required. The other figure on this command base is a Hat Industrie 1806 Prussian Hussar.

Enjoy! Hopefully this will be the first of many posts showcasing my very large 1/72 Napoleonic collection.