From Top to Bottom, or Cause and Effect (Du haut en bas...ou les causes et les effets) 1814

This hand-colored etching titled, *From Top to Bottom, or Cause and Effect*, was created by Elie, a French artist who died in 1850. It offers a pointed commentary on the tumultuous era of the Napoleonic Wars. The print depicts a figure, presumably Napoleon, straddling Europe from Madrid to Moscow, with Fontainebleau in the center. But he is falling! This image reflects the hubris and overreach of Napoleon's imperial ambitions. His failed invasion of Russia in 1812 marked a significant turning point in his reign. The imagery uses a literal embodiment of power as a commentary on the socio-political climate. Through caricature, Elie critiques not just Napoleon, but the very nature of imperial power and its inevitable instability. The work captures a moment of vulnerability, laying bare the human cost of political ambition.