Malmaison was a run-down estate, seven miles (12 km) west of central Paris that encompassed nearly 150 acres (0.61 km2) of woods and meadows.

Upon his return, Bonaparte expressed fury at Joséphine for purchasing such an expensive house with the money she had expected him to bring back from the Egyptian campaign.

Joséphine endeavored to transform the large estate into "the most beautiful and curious garden in Europe, a model of good cultivation".

Empress Joséphine had the Belgian artist Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759–1840) record her roses (and lilies), and prints of these works sell quite well, even today.

At the height of her days at Malmaison, Joséphine had the company of kangaroos, emus, black swans, zebras, sheep, gazelles, ostriches, chamois, a seal, antelopes and llamas to name a few.

In 1896, the patron and philanthropist Daniel Iffla, known as Osiris, purchased the château along with its park, by then reduced to 6 hectares, and donated it to the State in 1903.