Napoleon In Charleroi June 1815 1823

Horace Vernet painted this image of Napoleon in Charleroi in June 1815, likely some years after the event itself. The image presents us with a slightly idealized Napoleon, and this tells us a lot about the role of art in shaping popular memory. The Emperor is shown consulting a map on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo. But is this really how it happened? To understand this image, we need to go back to France in the years after Napoleon’s defeat. With the restoration of the monarchy, there was a need to re-write history and to create new national heroes. Vernet's painting can be understood in the context of a wider cultural effort to rehabilitate Napoleon’s image. In the social and political climate of the time, some might have viewed Napoleon as a tyrant, but he was also seen by others as a great leader. This painting could have helped to shape opinions of Napoleon, softening his image in the public imagination. As art historians, we use a variety of sources to better understand the social and political context surrounding artworks such as this one. We might look at newspapers, political pamphlets, and other visual representations of Napoleon to further understand the politics of imagery.