Prince Napoleon (1822-1891)

Cousin  of  Napoleon   III   and   President   of the  1855  Universal  Exposition.  His   relations  with  Napoleon III were  always  diflicult,  for  he  was  a self-proclaimed socialist, outspoken in his views,  ever  hopeful  of ascending to  the  throne. He described   his own   taste   as  ''traditional" while boasting that   the  Bonaparte family   had always admired   "the distinguished talents of  all schools: David, Canova, Gros ..."  The breadth of his taste  can  be measured in the distance from David  to Gros: for him  this encompassed "all schools." He collected antiquities and   is  perhaps best  known   for the   Maison  pompeienne [house in the style of Pompeii] he  had   built   in Paris where   he  and   his  friends   dressed  up in  Roman  costumes.  His  apologists stress  that he received his early  education in  Italy, where he was deeply influenced by classical art,  a taste  he carried with  him all his life) marrying Marie Clotilde, daughter of Victor Emmanuel II, [King of the newly formed Kingsdom of Italy] and  returning there  after I 870.

Napoléon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte