Bonaparte book collection
Abstract
The collection contains books from the personal libraries of Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte, Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte and other Bonaparte family members. Many of the volumes contain autographs and annotations.
Dates
- 1741 - 1928
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research use.
Conditions Governing Use
The reproduction of materials in this collection may be subject to copyright restrictions. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine and satisfy copyright clearances or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections. For more information visit the MCHC’s Rights and Permissions page.
Historical Note
Elizabeth (Betsy) Patterson Bonaparte (1785-1879), daughter of Baltimore, Md merchant William Patterson, married Jerome Bonaparte (1784-1860), brother of French emperor Napoleon I, on Christmas eve of 1803. The marriage was annulled by Napoleon's decree in 1806, while Jerome returned to Europe and remarried according to his brother's wishes. Betsy and Jerome's only child, Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte, was raised by his mother and her family, graduated from Harvard University, and married Susan May Williams in 1829.
Extent
13.0 Linear Feet (13 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
Books are numbered and arranged alphabetically by author or publisher. Information in the “Autographs and Annotations; notes” column in the container list below was taken from index cards created sometime after the bulk of the collection was donated. These cards are located in Box 1. Index cards for an additional 51 books that, as of October 2013, cannot be located can also be found in Box 1. Two of the volumes in the collection, Memories de Frederique Sophie Wilhelmine…Soeur de Frederic-Le-Grand: Ecrits de sa Main, by Frederique Sophie Wilhelmine were donated to the Historical Society in 2009.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The bulk of the collection was received along with the papers that comprise MS 141-145 circa 1920s-1950s. Two volumes were donated in 2009.
Scope and Contents
The Bonaparte Book Collection consists of 13 boxes of 384 volumes that were originally part of the personal libraries of Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte, her son Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte, and other members of the Bonaparte family. Many contain autographs and/or annotations of both. There are also autographs of Susan May Williams, Jerome Bonaparte’s wife, and their son Charles Joseph Bonaparte.
Source
- Title
- Guide to the Bonaparte book collection
- Status
- Under Revision
- Author
- Damon Talbot
- Date
- 2013-10
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Revision Statements
- 2020-04-07: Manually entered into ArchivesSpace by Mallory Herberger.
Repository Details
Part of the H. Furlong Baldwin Library Repository
H. Furlong Baldwin Library
Maryland Center for History and Culture
610 Park Avenue
Baltimore MD 21201 United States
4106853750
specialcollections@mdhistory.org