Napoleon's penis was allegedly amputated in an autopsy shortly after Napoleon's death in 1821. Since then it has passed through several owners, including A. S. W. Rosenbach, who exhibited it in New York City in 1927. It was purchased by John K. Lattimer in 1977, and is still held in his family, who keep it as a private item. It was described as similar to a "piece of leather or a shriveled eel".