Rapport au roi sur la situation, au 31 mars, 1829, des canaux et autres ouvrages entrepris en vertu des lois des 20 juin et 5 aout 1821 1829

This report on canals, dating from 1829, was presented to the King of France by the Imprimerie Royale, or Royal Printing Office. The cover’s red leather and gold decoration present us with a fascinating image of state power during the Bourbon Restoration. The book's design incorporates royalist symbols – fleurs-de-lis beneath a crown – that connect the regime with a long history of monarchical rule. Canals were an important part of modernization efforts, so the report can be understood as an attempt by the restored monarchy to demonstrate that it could deliver progress to the French population, in competition with the legacy of the Revolution and Napoleon. As historians, we need to look at who was responsible for commissioning and creating such objects. The Imprimerie Royale was a state institution that sought to use its output to legitimate the government. Analyzing this book in the context of French institutional history helps us understand the public role of art, and the politics of imagery in the post-revolutionary period.