Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) was one of the most powerful and influential military and political leaders in history. He played a major role during the French Revolution (1789-1799) and Napoleonic Wars. He seized power as the First Consul of the French Republic in a coup d’etat in 1799 and, in 1804, he declared himself first Emperor…

David Badger’s extraordinary collection of snuff boxes provides evidence of anti-slavery and abolitionist sentiments on both sides of the Atlantic, including figures prominent in Revolutionary America.  Several important figural snuff boxes depict American leaders from the early Republic who opposed the institution of slavery. Examples include John Brown, Thomas Paine, John Quincy Adams, and Benjamin…

This remarkable, hand carved, miniature elephant from the late 18th /early 19th century is a rare snuff box made from a very small coquilla nut. Carved in the form of an elephant, it measures only 1.9 inches (4.8 cm) in length. Tusks made of whalebone are a striking added element. Elephants have played an important role…