a reporter interviewed elizabeth patterson bonaparte in 1870 found her to be a wondrous beauty. ut he also found her to be wary and offensive. her nature he observed a suspicious and work by many injuries. when elizabeth patterson bonaparte, the most beautiful woman in america and europe summed up her role in life, she wrote simply, i have lived alone and i will die alone. it's a biography i thought her story complex and compelling. as in a story come but sequiturs dory is the oleum porton, for elizabeth patterson bonaparte was one of the few american women of the early 19th century whose life was lived in public and it had a direct impact on the political and diplomatic decisions made by an exclusively male national government. her marriage to two rome buonaparte shut the federalist party and republican party alike. newspapers at home and abroad were filled with speculation on what it would mean for american neutrality in the epic that all been waged between france and england. did it signal a shift in policy at jefferson's administration? herbivores had similar impact. a popula

elizabeth bonaparte the onetime wife of the brother jerome and a native of baltimore maryland. this is a little under an hour. [applause] >> thank you for coming out on a cold night. elizabeth patterson bonaparte was a legend, curiosity walking slowly down the streets in the 1870s, her trademark held high above her head to protect her from sun or rain. on the other arm she carried in a laboratory and the wished bag that was rumored to hold all of her jewels to rea rate her dress no longer fashionable perhaps made in that area when napoleon dominated europe and america was a little more than a fledgling nation. it was clear that even in her old age she conveyed an elegance and a sense of superiority that captured admiration is curiosity. as she stopped at one building and then the next knocking on doors and demanding their rent owed to her, the passerby as might have recognize'smight have cities and countries first female celebrity. had the same followed her home after her business was completed, they would have once again marveled at her best interest of you despite all the property she owned, and she owned a lost both in the city and surrounding areas she implored the idea of settin

when elizabeth patterson bonaparte, the most beautiful women in america and europe, summed up her own life she said i have lived alone and i will die alone. i knew the context in which this story played out was important. for elizabeth patterson bonaparte was one of the few women at the time whose life was lived in public. her marriage to jerome bonaparte shook the federalist and republican party alike. newspapers at home and abroad were filled with talk on what it would mean for american neutrality in the epic battle being waged between france and england. did it signal a shift for jefferson's administration? the divorce had a similar affect. would napoleon's treatment play a part? should the american government take this as an insult to the sovereignty and law? disspite napoleon's anulling the marriage, it was valid in maryland and the english press lost no opportunity to offer the welcomi welcomi welcoming gestures to betsy. if she married either of her english suitor would this lead to closer ties to england? they were obsessed with whether they would have to make a decision based