Start Date

4-18-2018 10:30 AM

End Date

4-18-2018 11:45 AM

Disciplines

European History | Political History | Social History

Subjects

Napoleon I (1769–1821) Emperor of the French, France -- History -- Revolution (1789-1799)

Abstract

Despite nearly two centuries having passed since his death, Napoleon Bonaparte still looms large in western political imagery. Napoleon utilized state sponsored art and propagandists like Jacques-Louis David, Antoine-Jean Gros, and Jean Auguste-Dominique Ingres to enhance his public image and promote him as a calm and talented military leader, a dedicated public servant, and even a saint. However, after his defeat at Waterloo, his exile, and death, Bonaparte’s artistic representation shifted to one of a dejected, almost tragic ruler. This shift to a negative and reflective portrayal of the Emperor can be most clearly seen in the works of Paul Delaroche, J. M. W. Turner, and Jean-Leon Gerome. Despite the fact that these works were completed more recently, it is the positive imagery of Napoleon’s state employed propagandists that endures in the public memory of Bonaparte.

Notes

2nd place winner of the Karen E. Hoppes Young Historians Award for Outstanding Research and Writing.

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Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/24777

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Apr 18th, 10:30 AM Apr 18th, 11:45 AM

Truth, Fiction, and Image: Napoleon Bonaparte and the Changing Tides of Political Imagination

Despite nearly two centuries having passed since his death, Napoleon Bonaparte still looms large in western political imagery. Napoleon utilized state sponsored art and propagandists like Jacques-Louis David, Antoine-Jean Gros, and Jean Auguste-Dominique Ingres to enhance his public image and promote him as a calm and talented military leader, a dedicated public servant, and even a saint. However, after his defeat at Waterloo, his exile, and death, Bonaparte’s artistic representation shifted to one of a dejected, almost tragic ruler. This shift to a negative and reflective portrayal of the Emperor can be most clearly seen in the works of Paul Delaroche, J. M. W. Turner, and Jean-Leon Gerome. Despite the fact that these works were completed more recently, it is the positive imagery of Napoleon’s state employed propagandists that endures in the public memory of Bonaparte.