Napoleon I (1769-1821), emperor of the French, consolidated and institutionalized many reforms of the French Revolution. One of the greatest military commanders of all time, he conquered the larger part of Europe and did much to modernize the nations he ruled.
The Napoleonic Museum was inaugurated on the 1st of December 1961. It is located in the capital of Cuba, Havana, and posseses a collection of 7300 works of art of the period of the First Empire. The collection consists of paintings, sculptures, furnitire, decorative arts, arms, textiles, medals, and a library with precious books in French, Spanish, Italian and English languages.
Two sets showing paintings from the Napoleon Museum were issued by the Cuban Postal Administration. The first of them, issued in 1969, Aug. 20, commemorates the bicentenary of birth of the Emperor.
The second set, shown on this page on maximum cards, was issued on Nov. 13, 1981 and commemorates the 20th anniversary of the Napoleonic Museum.