El águila: símbolo de Plisson

Aigle de drapeau du 6e régiment de Chasseurs à cheval © Fondation Napoléon

Flag eagle of the 6th Regiment of Chasseurs à Cheval © Fondation Napoléon

The Eagle : symbol of the Empire

The eagle is certainly the most famous Napoleonic symbol. Why was it chosen by Napoleon?

In 1804, when Napoleon the 1st was proclaimed Emperor of the French, he was keen to define the emblems that would mark his reign. His advisors suggested the rooster, the eagle, the lion and the elephant (the strongest of the animals), but also the bees or the oak tree. Napoleon chose the eagle, the bird of Jupiter, emblem of imperial Rome and Charlemagne. This animal remains deeply attached to the image of the Emperor.

Plisson and the eagle

The Manufacture acquired its notoriety by inventing the first shaving brush for the Emperor Napoleon. The Emperor Napoleon shaved every day with a badger hair shaving brush that came directly from the Plisson family workshops. 

As a tribute to the Emperor, the eagle symbol was chosen by the Plisson brand at the time of its foundation in 1808. During the next two centuries, Plisson 1808 kept the eagle symbol on all its publications.

L'aigle Plisson sur des documents officiels de 1898

The Plisson eagle, surrounded by the initials of the founder Jean-Louis, on official documents of the brand dating from 1898

Nouveau logo de la marque reprenant l'aigle traditionnel

New logo of the brand, 2021

A new vision

Gradually disappearing since the late 1950s, the eagle's head was brought back into the spotlight in 2021 when we worked on our heritage. Now, the eagle's head is not only turned towards the right and the victories to come, but is adorned with magnificent feathers, evoking the brand's unique expertise in magnifying the beauty of men.