French Crimean War Framed Soldier Memorial
This item is listed for historical interest only. It was listed on our site previously but has been sold and is no longer available for purchase.
Sold for: $450.00

Original era manufacture. A framed memorial to a French soldier who served Napoleon III during the Crimea War, and lateragainst the Austrians in Italy in 1860. The frame is of black painted wood segments, with a domed glass covering. Mounted to the paper backing is his British Crimea Medal with Sebastapol clasp, Italian Campaign Medal, and his Medaille Militaire, likely awarded to him later in life as it is not a Second Empire pattern, a common occurrence, as we have a similar set in our own collection. At center in the frame is his watch chain, with a bursting bomb emblem displaying the Imperial eagle. At top is a white marble oval to which is mounted a lock of his hair. Flanking the lock of hair, are two small handwritten tags, one reads "A Mon Mari" (my husband) and the other 1er Mai 1887 (May 1st 1887). When we purchased this set several of the medals had comeloose and the backing had come off as well. We carefully remounted them in their proper positions, and recovered the back of the frame with paper.