Geschiedenis van Napoleon I / Histoire de Napoléon Ier 1827 - 1894

M. Hemeleers-van Houter created this print titled Geschiedenis van Napoleon I around the time of his death in 1880. The print, whose title translates to "History of Napoleon I," serves as a visual timeline of Napoleon's life. Prints such as this were popular at the time as forms of mass media, predating the omnipresence of photography. Likely intended for a wide audience, the illustrated scenes, rendered in a somewhat naive style, depict significant moments in Napoleon's military and political career, from his early military successes to his eventual exile and death. As we view this piece, we might ask ourselves about how history is curated, canonized, and consumed by different social classes. What does it mean to see a leader's history reduced to a series of digestible images? It's a poignant reminder of how leaders are mythologized, and how narratives of power and ambition can be simplified for public consumption.