Portret van Henri d'Artois op zevenjarige leeftijd 1827

Marie Marguerite Françoise Jaser created this portrait of Henri d'Artois at seven years old. We can see how this portrait of a young royal would function within the Bourbon Restoration, a period in French history that attempted to reinstate the monarchy after the French Revolution and Napoleonic era. Notice how Henri is depicted in a military uniform. In the France of 1827, this would have held specific political meaning. Aristocrats who had fled the country during the revolution came back expecting to resume their former positions of power. Visual details can be unlocked through careful historical research into social life. Royal archives, fashion history, and military records can help us better understand the image. Approaching art through social and institutional history helps us understand the complex meanings this image would have conveyed at the time it was made.