On Thursday, September 21 at Historic St. Mary’s City, Alexandra Deutsch, Director of Collections and Interpretation at the Maryland Historical Society, will present a free lecture entitled Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte and the Creation of an Imperial Legacy.
This lecture, based on her book, A Woman of Two Worlds: Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte, analyzes Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte’s personal belongings and letters to create a material culture biography of the woman whose seductive beauty and tragic marriage have long been documented. Through careful consideration of her possessions and writings, as well as those of her son and grandsons, this lecture takes Elizabeth’s story far beyond the one typically told. Driven by her desire to create an imperial legacy for her descendants,
Elizabeth forged a remarkable life after her ill-fated marriage to Jérôme Bonaparte ended in 1805. She lived the rest of her life as a single woman, dying in 1879 as arguably one of America’s first self-made millionaires.
The evening lecture is open to the public and will be held in the Visitor Center Auditorium.
Historic St. Mary’s City is a museum of living history and archaeology on the site of Maryland’s first capital in beautiful, tidewater Southern Maryland. For more information about the museum contact the Visitor Center at 240-895-4990, 800-SMC-1634, or info@hsmcdigshistory.org.