Legion of Honor

a French order of merit established by Napoleon in 1804. Soldiers or others who had distinguished themselves received a star containing the emperor's portrait, surrounded by a wreath of oak and laurel and the words "Napoleon, Empereur des Francais." On the other side was the French eagle bearing a thunderbolt in his claws and the legend, "Honneur et Patrie," meaning honor and native land. The order has been reconstituted. A device emblematic of the republic has been substituted for the portrait of the Empire. The words are now "Republique Francaise 1807." On the reverse two flags take the place of the imperial eagle. The order has also been graded. There are 25,000 chevaliers or ordinary members, 4,000 officers, 1,000 commanders, 200 grand officers, and twenty grand crosses. Rosa Bonheur was one of the few women to receive the decoration of the order.