EUGENIE DE MONTIJO: (1826-1920) Empress Consort of the French 1853-71, wife of Napoleon III. A.L.S., Eugenie, three pages, 8vo, Lowndes Place, 6th February 1871, to a lady, in French. The Empress writes a charming letter to her correspondent, in full, 'At the church yesterday, I found the armchairs and the prie-dieus that you had arranged to be put there for us, and I was extremely touched by such a kind and delicate thought. It is not that I am attached to things which remind me of the grandeur of this world, and before God, especially, I forget them easily; but it is fortunate that I have chosen such good friends, who, in our misfortune, find such subtle ways of proving their support.' An original sepia 2 x 3 photograph of the Empress is neatly laid down immediately beneath her signature and a similar photograph of her husband, Emperor Napoleon III, is neatly affixed to the verso of the letter. Some light age toning to the edges of the letter, evidently caused by previous framing, G

Following the overthrow of the Second French Empire after France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, the Empress and her husband took refuge in England.