Reception by the Directory, plate 29 from The Political and Military Life of Napoleon 1822

Louis Boulanger created this print, Reception by the Directory, sometime in the 19th century. Boulanger lived through a period of immense social and political change in France, as the country transitioned from monarchy to republic, to empire, and back again. Here we see Napoleon Bonaparte, the celebrated military leader, in an interior scene with other men. The work depicts Napoleon’s reception by the Directory, which was the French revolutionary government from 1795 to 1799. Napoleon’s meteoric rise through the ranks of the military mirrored the revolutionary fervor that promised social mobility. Notice the expressions of the people in the scene. How do you think they perceived Napoleon? As a liberator, a tyrant, or something in between? Boulanger produced many images of Napoleon, reflecting the ongoing debates about his legacy. He seems to be asking, how do we reconcile the ideals of revolution with the reality of imperial ambition? The print invites us to reflect on the complexities of power, the allure of charismatic leaders, and the human cost of political change.