doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com E.M. Reilly; History; Chronology; Serial Numbers

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1868 - 1890 - Reilly and Emperor Napoleon III

Continuing the Reilly in Paris theme - In this post I'll attempt to provide more clarity to the Reilly claim to have provided guns to Napoleon III of the 2nd French empire.

Here is are typical Reilly Advertisements with this claim ("FOURNISSEURS BREVETES DE S.M L'EMPEREUR"). The ads appeared from 1868 to 1871. They didn't last long - Napoleon III was captured by the Prussians at Sedan 4 Sep 1870 and the 3rd French Republic was declared immediately thereafter. The ads with the claim, however, continued to appear in travel guides in 1871 and 1872-they evidently had been written and printed before the Sedan disaster.



Now what guns did Reilly provide to "Son Majestie l'Empereur" (his majesty the Emperor)? Here's a clue from this board.

http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums...rds=Sturtevant&Search=true#Post99057

David Trebalien (crossedchisels) had the history and one of the guns; Dr. Drew posted the pictures. Here is David's comment: "Thanks to Dr Drew, Once again for posting the 20bore E M Reilly, I have the 12b also Cased with allLoading Goodies. The letter along with the 2 Guns is, European Royalty and the Reilly Invoice shows just how Mr Sturtevant of Newport R.I.U.S.A. brought the Guns to America.I am not the owner, just the Researcher/Cleaner/Photo'Snapper".The Empress Euginie, Mother of Napoleon lll. Used the 20b Quite Often' I hope to get the story into "ONE of the Glossie's...Some Grand Photos. The Guns are the Quality expected from London Best Makers of the period. The stripped-down photos will show this...DirtyDave /cc".

I've written Dave to try to get more info (Eugenie was wife not mother). Dr. Drew had this label on file but no other pics; It was SN 17536 (per chart on page 9, 1871 - a 12 bore SxS muzzle loader - instructions printed on the label - Reilly addresses at 502 Oxford Street and 2 rue Scribe on the label. - Handwriting is in English not French.
1871 of course is after the fall of the 2nd empire making the claim that this gun was given or sold to the Emperor's family a bit suspect!!! Still Reilly retained the medals he won at the 1867 Paris Universelle on his trade labels and ads for 1871 and for some ads 1872. The Emperor died in 1872. ),



And here is 1868 Reilly publicity in a French catalog which has possibly the worst advertising poem in the history of commercial ditty's. However, it has a revealing quote from journalist-writer/politician Anatole de la Forge, which I'll translate, then the poem makes grandiose claims, takes a swipe at Purdey and other "establisment" London gunmakers. Then goes on to declare an intention to (I think) conquer the American market.



Translation: "Extract from the magazine 'Le Siecle' the Century), December 26th 1867. Among the English private industrial products (at the Paris Universelle exposition of 1867), one finds a series of arms with the most beautiful finish and an execution beyond compare. Amongst the first rank are these admirable shotguns and hunting rifles from the house of E.M Reilly and Co., and we applaud the decision by the jury which awarded to this house the gold medal of honor."

Tis for PRESENTATION that they meet renown,
Those in '67 at Paris shown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
And did the whole England outshine
Were purchased for the Grand Duke Constantine
In part, and the rest Count Orloff are thine;. . . . . . . .2. Russians and no fake news here
To sole Empire in Europe they attain,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
They've now an establishment beside the Seine,. . . . . . . . . .4
There they stand, Sol irradiated Tor!
They've been commission'd to supply the Emperor. . . . .5
Some fitted up they gorgeously adorn
For eastern princes at the rising morn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
But that which Freemen of the West require
Is Science and Art borne even higher;
� No objection to good Damascened designs,. . . . . . . . . .7
For those together blended fame assigns
A place-beyond all we in London know
To Messrs. E.M. Reilly & Co.
What other houses charge sixty-five pounds
For, and keep you four or five months (which astounds),. . . . .8 (take that Purdey)
In waiting for; one exactly the same
For which only £45 they claim -
Having it ready too in thirty days
Or less, for which they merit highest praise. . . . . . . . ...9
Exactly the same I've already said
The Gun shall be, by my Art-Heroes made,
But only here to give what's rightly due
You may be able thus to strike more true;
No anxiety need the nations feel
Who with our intelligent firm would deal,
For I've them in their mode of business tracked . . . . . . .10
Their works found for any clime ready packed,
Then again independently of this
Their assortment in the metropolis
Is all unrivaled, wherefrom to select,. . . . . . . . . . . . ..11
Our Delegates witness that I'm correct,
Here they purchased Guns for Presentation;
For such our firm's renown'd to our nation
Uprising in the West I introduce them,. . . . . . . . . . . ..12
Their Guns may each be styled science' gem
I bear them o'er the main, for 'tis my belief
Each Pioneer Family to be its Chief,
Could not a present more acceptable. . . . . . . . . . . ..13
Give, thus on the reciprocal principle
And amicable, may I rank Donor
Thro' those who won the Medal of Honor,. . . . . . . . ..14
Where arts myriads of the world had striven,
Thy pledge of immortality was given
In the mental battle of nations '67,. . . . . . . . . . . . ...15
On the bona fide Manufacturers
The practical and active firm, confers
Thy bard this lay triumphant, from all beneath
The sky of England, Bay and Laurel Wreath,
Even as they rank in all great Britain 1st,
Be their deeds in highest literature rehearsed;
To many reams are their productions sent
They're well represented at the Orient,
And I will place them far above the rest
In the great market of the Boundless West. . . . . . . . . ...16


1. "'67 at Paris" - refers to the medals he won an the Paris Universelle Exposition



2, Were purchased for the Grand Duke Constantine; In part, and the rest Count Orloff are thine;: It looks like he sold his entire 1867 Paris Universelle exposition stock of guns to two Russian Grandees...Grand Duke Constantine Nikolayevich Romanoff and Count Nikolay Alexandrovich Orloff. "Grand Duke Constantine was an accomplished man and the second son of Czar Nikolas I. Count Orloff, of the famous Orloff family, was Russian Ambassador to Belgium from 1860-70 (when Russia along with Britain guaranteed Belgian independence) and then Paris (1870-82), both very sensitive diplomatic posts. Reilly could have claimed to have provided guns to the Russia Tsar's.

..........................Grand Duke Constantine Nikolayevich...................................Count Nikolay Alexandrovich Orloff



3. "Sole Empire in Europe" is a mystery. Napoleon III had declared a "French Empire" in Dec 1852. But there was an Austrian Empire which became Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1867 and a Russian Empire at that time. And an Ottoman Empire though Europeans would hardly consider it "European." (Classic definition of "European" is - participation in the Crusades, reformation and 30 years' War.)



4, The reference to the "establishment by the Seine" refers to the opening of 2 Rue Scribe (Feb 1868). - (see post above re rue Scribe)

5. "commission to supply the Emperor" must be origin of his claim in Reilly advertisements for a couple of years 1868-70-1 to be a supplier of guns to Napoleon III and that's where David's gun references come in - more below.

........................President then Emperor Lewis Napoleon III........................................Empress Eugenie


6. "For eastern princes at the rising morn": Reilly had an office in Calcutta and an agent in Madras and sold numerous presentation guns to Indian Rajah's.

......SN 16139 (Douglas Tate's Double Gun Journal article 1994).................................................SN 12532 (See chart for date)


7. "good Damascened designs": Reference to Reilly Damascus barrels

8. What other houses charge sixty-five pounds; For, and keep you four or five months (which astounds) This is a clear swipe at Purdey and the English gun establishments - "They'll charge you 60 pounds for a gun and you'll have to wait months." (A few months earlier in London, Purdey had sent an arched-eyebrow note to Reilly's store at 315 New Oxford - next door to Purdey - objecting to some words by a Reilly salesman, who apparently had told a buyer that a gun in Reilly's store was proofed by Purdey but was half the price because of no Purdey name (or did the salesman say the customer could get a gun at Reilly's which was as good as a Purdey but for half the price?) (from Terry Weiland's excellent article "Reilly of Oxford Street" in 2014 Gun Digest). This little dig was probably Reilly's come-back.

9. In waiting for; one exactly the same; For which only £45 they claim ;Having it ready too in thirty days; Or less, for which they merit highest praise. i.e.: Reilly will charge a quarter less and you'll get it in less than 30 days!

10. For I've them in their mode of business tracked -; This lays out the Reilly business model in spades - he was not trying to be Purdey as John Cambell claimed in his 2015 piece in Double Gun Journal- he planned to undercut the prestige makers in price, deliver the goods 6 times as fast and give a really quality product at the same time, making up for less profit per gun by (relative) volume of sales. (Reilly at this time and throughout the 1870's sold three times as many numbered guns as Purdey along with massive traffic in licensed and used guns.)

11. Is all unrivaled, wherefrom to select: Extolls the selection a buyer can find at the Reilly stores in London.

12. Uprising in the West I introduce them. Plans to expand into the American Market

13. Each Pioneer Family to be its Chief,; Could not a present more acceptable. A perfect present for the head of a pioneer family

14. Thro' those who won the Medal of Honor. Refers to the 1867 Paris Universelle gold medal

15. Again refers to the Paris Universelle

16. And I will place them far above the rest; In the great market of the Boundless West. Go West young man. Within a year he had an American Agent - Joseph C. Grubb & Co. in Philadelphia and he was one of three English Breech-loaders listed in the 1871 Johnson Great Western Gun Catalog:

1871 J. H. Johnston Great Western Gun Works catalog:
Muzzle loader = sold as "English", "Belgian", "American", only Greener is called out by name
Breech loader = Greener, Westley Richards, E. M. Reilly & Co

Notice that Grubb ranks Reilly with Purdey, Greener, Westley Richards, Scott...and does NOT include him in the "cheaper English guns."



And the end of Napoleon III and Reilly's claim to an attachment to the Royal family - Sedan September 1870 (Notice how much Bismark looks like US Grant in his dress):