Ci-devant Occupations; or, Madame Talian and the Empress Josephine Dancing Naked before Barrass in the Winter of 1797. - A Fact! 1805

James Gillray's satirical print "Ci-devant Occupations; or, Madame Talian and the Empress Josephine Dancing Naked before Barrass in the Winter of 1797. - A Fact!" (1805) depicts a scene of political scandal. The image shows French politician and diplomat Joseph-François Barras reclining in a chair, while two famous actresses, Madame Talian and Empress Josephine, dance naked behind a curtain. The print is a commentary on the morals and political corruption of the French Directory, a five-person executive body governing France after the French Revolution. The print's humorous and often grotesque style was characteristic of Gillray's work.