A journey back in time to the past of Nice at the Musée Masséna. This Wednesday, there was a preview tour of the exhibition “Nice and the Second Empire,” which starts on September 12. The event was attended by Robert Roux, Deputy Mayor of Nice responsible for Culture, Gaël Nofri, Deputy Mayor of Nice responsible for Traffic, Parking, and Urban Logistics, and Jean-Pierre Barbero, the Director of the venue.
“The simplest way is to discover this exhibition and try to transport you to September 12, 1860, in Nice and that era,” clarified Jean-Pierre Barbero before starting the tour. The salons of Villa Masséna were thus transformed into true relics of the past, going back 160 years to September 12 and 13, when Emperor Napoleon III and his wife Empress Eugénie came to spend two days in the city. It’s a reconstruction of that setting, those days of excitement following the imperial visit, through numerous objects, artworks, or documents… An exhibition held as part of the 160th anniversary of the Union of the County of Nice with France.
A Reconstruction of Napoleon III and Eugénie’s Trip in 1860
Objects, paintings, archives, photographs, outfits, and even sculptures… Many opulent artifacts from September 12 and 13 are displayed here to allow visitors to immerse themselves in this world of the past. For example, the original keys to the city, presented by Mayor Malausséna to the imperial couple upon their arrival at Place Garibaldi, or a letter Eugénie wrote from Nice to her son, the crown prince. There are also period representations on display, such as the flower arch, representing the Arc de Triomphe with which the people of Nice welcomed Napoleon III, or a winter garden.
A Scientific Representation
“This is the first time an exhibition dedicated to Napoleon III’s journey has been organized and this historic moment is approached scientifically, as nothing was left to chance,” explains Robert Roux. Thus, Villa Masséna collaborated with many specialists for this exhibition, including Jean-Paul Potron, Conservator of the Chevalier de Cessole Library, who as a historian has studied the texts and archives. Costume specialists of that era also participated in the project. Many outfits are displayed across the salons of Villa Masséna, such as travel and leisure wear, bathing suits, and ball gowns from that period.
