Archive for April, 2013


Pack Your Bags and “Go!”: Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte, A Woman on the Move

By on Sunday, April 28th, 2013 | No Comments

By Chief Curator Alexandra Deutsch “Always move forward…” –Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte, 1840 Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte was a woman on the move. In a recent conversation with historian Helen Jean Burn, author of Betsy Bonaparte (Maryland Historical Society, 2010), I asked, “Why do you think Elizabeth always lived in boarding houses?” Burn’s answer was thought provoking. [...]

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A Tender Bond

By on Saturday, April 20th, 2013 | No Comments

Elizabeth did not learn of the annulment right away and when she did hear the news it was not from Jerome or Napoleon, but from a newspaper report. She was so distressed by the news that she ceased going out. How could this have happened? Only a few months before Jerome had been professing his [...]

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Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte: Fashionista

By on Saturday, April 13th, 2013 | 1 Comment

For the past year, the Maryland Historical Society has been incredibly lucky to have the expertise of curatorial volunteer, Barbara Meger.** Barbara has been a serious student of needlework, historic textiles and fashion for over 45 years and brings remarkable knowledge and insights to the museum’s textile collection. Over the past six months, Barbara has [...]

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Back to Baltimore

By on Thursday, April 4th, 2013 | No Comments

William Patterson by Thomas Sully, Bequest of Mrs. George Patterson, MdHS, 1883.1.1 By September of 1805, Elizabeth had all but given up on hearing from her husband Jerome. Sad and missing her mother with whom she had a very strong bond, she set sail aboard the brig Mars and returned reluctantly to Baltimore. Crossing the [...]

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