Ilsebill Barta

A wonderful and cheap (10 EUR) catalogue to the recent exhibition in the Hofmobiliendepot in Vienna, Austria, about the ill-fated 19th century adventure of (Ferdinand) Maximilian in Mexico. Maximilian was the more gifted and pleasant younger brother of Austrian emperor Franz-Joseph who had the unpleasant job of waiting in line of succession. Franz-Joseph proved to be the ultimate survivor in a very assassin-afflicted family, so Maximilian directed his talents towards architecture and naval affairs. He was influential in modernizing the navy, being an early advocate of iron ships (which produced the Austrian victory at the sea battle of Lissa). His interest in architecture led to the marvel that is Mirarmar Palace near Trieste, Italy. As a collector, he managed to assemble autographs from all the 17 US presidents who had been in office up to the end of his life. The efforts of No. 17, Andrew Johnson, to restore the Monroe doctrine and kick France out of Mexico directly contributed to Maximilian’s downfall. Maximilian should have returned to Europe when it became apparent to all that his reign in Mexico was unlikely to become permanent. Most of the 6.500 Austrian volunteers chose this option and returned home. Only a stalwart 1.500 remained behind with Maximilian to reverse the hopeless outlook. In the end, Maximilian’s execution was turned into an iconic picture by Eduard Manet. In its most famous version, the Mexican soldiers are actually wearing French uniforms (perhaps an allusion to the French lack of support). The exhibition and the catalogue showed the vest and frock coat in which Maximilian died. The entrance holes in the vest are surprisingly small.… (meer)