COLUMBIA, SC.- The South Carolina State Museum presents Napoléon – An Intimate Portrait, on view through January 1, 2007. This major exhibition includes more than 250 period artifacts, many of which were the French emperor’s personal items, including his famous hat, coat, portraits, busts, furniture, maps, his personal game box and many others, as well as the ceremonial sword used by the pope to proclaim him emperor at his coronation on Dec. 2, 1804.

Bonaparte (1769-1821) not only conquered most of Europe with his brilliant military tactics, but he had a lasting impact on history in many other ways, says State Museum Chief Curator of History Fritz Hamer.“Inadvertently, he made a huge contribution to American history by selling the Louisiana Territory to the United States during Thomas Jefferson’s presidency, which doubled the size of our country and changed our destiny and national identity.

“He also commissioned the construction of many public works still in use today, including more than 20,000 miles of imperial and 12,000 miles of regional roads, a thousand miles of canals, the Great Cornice road along the Mediterranean coast, as well as mountain roads and port expansions.

“Napoléon also contributed significantly to culture by beautifying Paris with the building of boulevards, bridges and monuments, expanding the Louvre and establishing important museums in 15 other European cities.”

He also established the Napoleonic Code, which serves to this day as the basis for French law.

Another monumental contribution to culture was the advancement of the world’s understanding of the ancient Egyptian civilization, said Hamer. “Napoléon commissioned the archeological study which yielded the discovery of the great key to the ancient Egyptian language, the Rosetta Stone.

“Museum guests will be thrilled at the stories told by these incredible artifacts,” said the curator.

Napoléon Bonaparte was born to parents of Italian heritage on Corsica, an island off the coast of France, and after being graduated as a second lieutenant from the Royal Military College of Paris at age 16, rose to become a brigadier general at 25 during the French Revolution. He became general in command of the Army of the Interior two years later, and after victorious campaigns in Italy and Egypt, he seized power in 1799 and was elected First Consul of the Republic, ending the Revolution. In 1804 he was crowned emperor by Pope Pius VII.“Napoleon was one of the most fascinating characters in history, from his military genius and great victories to his famous defeats and exiles,” said Hamer. “He was also a ‘self-made’ man, who attained his position without being born to royalty, but through his own talent, determination and vision.”