Napoleon decreed that order should exist in heraldry, as in every other branch of the State. His favourite artist, David, was called in to assist in devising new decorations, head-dresses, etc. The curious head-dress, invented by David to replace coronets, is called in French heraldry “une toque;” this somewhat resembles a flat Tam O’Shanter cap, slightly elevated in front, and, though no longer used, its varieties must be described, as it often occurs on book-plates of the period.
Princes carried a toque of black velvet, with a band around the brim of vair. In front a golden aigrette supported seven ostrich feathers.
Dukes wore the same, simply replacing the band vair by a band ermine.
Counts carried a toque of black velvet, with a band ermine. An aigrette, gold and silver, supported five feathers.
Barons wore the toque with a band counter vair. A silver aigrette supported three feathers.
These were further subdivided and distinguished, so as to show whether the rank was senatorial, military, ecclesiastical, or civil.
Chevaliers carried a black velvet toque with a green band. A silver aigrette with one upright feather.
Further, there were grants of arms for Préfets, Sous-Préfets, and Maires of towns, whilst the towns themselves were divided into classes, each class having on a chief, or a canton, a distinctive badge.
Thus, cities of the first order, such as Amsterdam, Antwerp, Bordeaux, Brussels, Ghent, Geneva, Hamburg, Lyons, Lille, Liège, Montauban, and Paris, bore three golden bees (the Napoleonic badge) on a chief gules, in addition to the arms of the cities here cited, whose names recall the extent of territory over which at one time Napoleon held sway.
Second class towns bore a golden N on a dexter canton azure; and third class towns had a sinister canton gules, on which was a silver N.