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Napoleon’s Curious Relic: The Strange Journey of His Preserved Penis


Napoleon seated with a red question mark on his lap; text reads "The Mysterious Journey Of Napoleon’s Penis." Another Napoleon stands by the sea.

When Napoleon Bonaparte died in exile on the remote island of Saint Helena in 1821, few could have imagined that more than two centuries later one of the strangest relics associated with him would still make headlines. The Emperor of the French, a man who once ruled over most of Europe, has countless statues, portraits, and military artefacts preserved in museums. Yet the most peculiar relic of all is not a sword, a hat, or even his iconic bicorne, but his penis.


The story of Napoleon’s preserved genitalia is one of those historical tales that veers between tragedy, absurdity, and farce. It has travelled across countries and continents, been displayed in museums, bought and sold at auctions, and hidden away in private homes. And, to this day, its authenticity and meaning remain as controversial as Napoleon’s own legacy.


A man in a blue and white military uniform stands confidently in a lavish room with a clock, books, and red and gold furnishings.
The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries, 1812, oil on canvas, at the National Gallery, Washington, D.C.

Napoleon’s Final Days on Saint Helena

By 1821, Napoleon had been living on Saint Helena for six years, banished there by the British after his defeat at Waterloo in 1815. The tiny volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean was as remote a prison as could be imagined. He lived under constant surveillance at Longwood House, surrounded by British guards, his movements limited, and his health steadily declining.


Contemporary accounts describe Napoleon suffering from severe stomach pains, weight loss, and weakness. On 5 May 1821, at the age of 51, the man once called Le Petit Caporal (“The Little Corporal”) finally succumbed. The official cause of death, confirmed by autopsy, was stomach cancer, a condition that had also killed his father, suggesting a genetic predisposition.



But controversy quickly followed. Some suggested that Napoleon had been deliberately poisoned by arsenic, perhaps to silence him before he could stage another escape or return to politics. Modern forensic studies on preserved hair samples have detected traces of arsenic, but historians largely agree these levels were consistent with exposure to contaminated wallpaper and medicines of the era, not deliberate poisoning.


A portrait of a man in a white military uniform with medals, hand inside coat. Serious expression. Framed in an ornate oval with laurel design.
A portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte, circa 1848.

The Autopsy and the Removal of Relics

Napoleon’s autopsy was conducted by Dr. Francesco Antommarchi, his personal physician. The procedure was carried out in the presence of British officials to ensure no foul play could be alleged. Antommarchi carefully removed the Emperor’s heart and intestines for preservation, and he also created Napoleon’s famous death mask, copies of which are still displayed today.


Yet according to witnesses, Antommarchi went further than his official duties. At one point, when the British observers were distracted, he is said to have removed small pieces of Napoleon’s rib as keepsakes. More bizarrely, he amputated Napoleon’s penis.


Why Antommarchi did this remains unclear. Some believe it was a crude act of medical curiosity, others that it was simply opportunism, doctors in the early 19th century often treated body parts of famous figures as relics. Whatever his motivation, Antommarchi entrusted the organ to a Corsican priest, Abbé Ange Vignali, who had administered Napoleon’s last rites.



From Corsica to America The Wandering Relic

After Napoleon’s death, Vignali returned to Corsica, taking the peculiar relic with him. It remained in his family until the early 20th century, when descendants sold it to the London antiquarian booksellers Maggs Bros. Ltd.


In 1924, the item resurfaced when Philadelphia collector and rare books dealer Dr. A.S.W. Rosenbach purchased it as part of the so-called Vignali Collection of Relics of Napoleon. Alongside locks of hair, letters, and personal effects, the catalogue included a description of “a mummified tendon taken from Napoleon’s body during the post-mortem.”


Three years later, in 1927, Rosenbach allowed the relic to go on public display at the Museum of French Arts in New York City. Visitors expecting a grandiose artefact linked to one of the most powerful men in history were reportedly disappointed. Descriptions from the time compared the relic to “a piece of leather thong,” “a shrivelled eel,” and even “a maltreated shoelace.” Its length was recorded as only 1.5 inches, fuelling endless jokes and rumours.


A man in a military uniform draws in the sand by the sea at sunset, while two officers stand nearby, conveying a reflective mood.

A Relic Nobody Wanted

Over the decades, the organ changed hands several times. It was bought by New York lawyer Donald Hyde, then sold to book dealer John Fleming, before passing to memorabilia collector Bruce Gimelson. At one point, it was even offered back to the French government, but Paris refused. As Tony Perrottet, author of Napoleon’s Privates: 2,500 Years of History Unzipped, dryly put it: “They wouldn’t have anything to do with the penis.”


In 1977, the relic found a more permanent resting place when it was purchased by Dr. John J. Lattimer, a New Jersey urologist and noted collector of macabre historical artefacts. Lattimer’s collection included Abraham Lincoln’s blood-stained collar and upholstery from President John F. Kennedy’s limousine. To him, owning Napoleon’s penis was both a curiosity and a professional oddity.

But Lattimer recognised the ridicule surrounding the object. “Fun was being poked at it, that it was an object of derision,” he admitted. As a result, he kept the relic hidden in a box under his bed, refusing to exhibit it publicly. Only a handful of close acquaintances were ever allowed to see it.



The Lattimer Legacy

When John Lattimer died in 2007, his daughter, Evan Lattimer, inherited the unusual heirloom. Like her father, she has declined to display it or allow it to be photographed, arguing that it should not be treated as a cheap joke. “Dad believed that urology should be proper and decent and not a joke,” she explained.

Still, Evan did allow one exception. She permitted historian Tony Perrottet to view the relic while researching his book. Perrottet later remarked:

“It’s sort of a symbol to me of everything that’s interesting about history. It combines love and death and sex and tragedy and farce all in this one story.”

As of today, the relic remains privately held by the Lattimer family in the United States.


Why Napoleon’s Penis Still Fascinates

On the surface, the tale of Napoleon’s penis may seem like little more than a historical oddity. But the story speaks to larger themes about the way societies treat famous figures after death. Relics of the powerful have long been prized, from saints’ bones in medieval Europe to Elvis Presley’s hair clippings in the 20th century. In Napoleon’s case, the preservation of such an intimate body part seems to blur the line between reverence and ridicule.


It also reflects how Napoleon continues to capture the imagination. From his military genius and political reforms to his exile and downfall, every detail of his life and death has been scrutinised. That even his penis became a collector’s item demonstrates just how enduring the fascination remains.


Conclusion

More than two hundred years after Napoleon Bonaparte’s death, his legacy continues to stir debate, not only over his role as a military leader and emperor but also through the bizarre afterlife of his bodily relics. The journey of his preserved penis, from Saint Helena to Corsica, London, New York, and finally to a box under a bed in New Jersey, is a reminder that history is often stranger than fiction.


As Perrottet observed, the relic embodies a curious mixture of comedy and tragedy, love and death, reverence and mockery. It is perhaps fitting that even in death, Napoleon remains larger-than-life, and yet, in one respect, remarkably small.

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