Dan Aubrey

The life and loves of noted ninth century beauty Annette Savage will be the topic of a talk on Saturday, February 9, 2 to 4 p.m., at the Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie. Titled “Le Jeu de l’Amour,” the program, led by journalist and writer Dan Aubrey, will explore how Napoleon’s brother and former King of Spain, Joseph Bonaparte, and his American mistress, Annette Savage, found passion and pain in the Trenton and Bordentown region of New Jersey.

Savage was 18 when she met Bonaparte. He had fled Europe following Napoleon’s defeat and arrived in her native Philadelphia. The year was 1818. Savage accompanied Bonaparte when he moved to the Trenton/Bordentown region to build his Point Breeze mansion and estate.

The couple became the parents of two daughters. The eldest, Pauline, was killed in an accident in 1823 and is buried at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in downtown Trenton. She was later recognized as a member of French royalty. Although Bonaparte ended the romantic liaison with Savage, he continued to support and communicate with her until his death in 1844. Savage died in 1865.

Aubrey will lead the program that looks at Savage from a historic perspective. Aubrey is the former arts editor of U.S. 1 newspaper, a past writer for the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and New Jersey State Museum, and a member of the Trenton Museum Society exhibition committee.

Admission for the talk is $5 (free for Trenton Museum Society members). Learn more and sign up in advance at ellarslie.org/Aubrey or call (609) 989-1191.

The Trenton City Museum is housed in Ellarslie Mansion, an 1848 Italianate Villa in the heart of Trenton’s Cadwalader Park, which was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. The building is owned by the City of Trenton and operated by the nonprofit Trenton Museum Society. The museum’s programming explores and celebrates Trenton’s history and culture; showcases contemporary art, artists, and performers; and offers community events, classes, and workshops for all ages.

Museum and museum store hours are open Thursday through Saturday from 12 to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. There is no admission fee, but donations in support of the museum’s mission and programs are welcomed. For more information, visit ellarslie.org.