In Focus is a series of lunchtime talks with Sir John Soane’s Museum curators and conservators in which they select an item from Soane’s vast and eclectic collection for an in-depth investigation. You will hear about the history and provenance of objects collected by Soane and have an opportunity to examine at close hand works from the collection not normally on display.
In this illustrated talk Sue Palmer, Archivist and Head of Library Services at Sir John Soane’s Museum, will look at one of Soane’s great treasures – a mourning ring containing a lock of Napoleon Bonaparte’s hair. In addition to discussing how it came into Soane’s possession and its subsequent history, she will put it in the wider context of Soane’s admiration for Napoleon and highlight other Napoleonica in his collection.
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About the Speaker
Sue Palmer has been Archivist to Sir John Soane’s Museum since 1989 and is the author of At Home with the Soanes (Pimpernel Press, 2015) and of a number of articles on Soane’s life and times.
Images: Mourning ring containing a lock of the Emperor Napoleon’s hair, English, hallmarked 1822. Museum number: X1310.