Portrait of the Empress Josephine 1805

Pierre-Paul Prud'hon painted this portrait of the Empress Josephine in France, during the height of the Napoleonic era. Here we see the wife of the Emperor not in court dress, but in something closer to a negligee, relaxing in a shadowy wood, surrounded by looming trees. The setting is not accidental, referencing the gardens at Malmaison that were designed to imitate the natural world. Yet this image and the way Josephine is represented speaks to the political role of women, and in particular royal women, during this time. How does this portrait depart from the formal court portraits of previous generations? It offers an image of a more ‘natural’ form of sovereignty, one in keeping with the ideals of the French Revolution. Examining the setting of this portrait and the garments worn by the sitter helps us understand the role of art in representing power. Through documents and publications of the time, we can better understand the social life of art.