Portrait of Charlotte Corday 1780 - 1827

Jean-Baptiste-François Bosio made this portrait of Charlotte Corday using pen and brown ink with gray wash. This delicate drawing captures Corday, the woman who assassinated the radical Jacobin leader Jean-Paul Marat in 1793, during the French Revolution. Corday, from a minor aristocratic family, believed Marat was a dangerous influence on the course of the revolution. Bosio's representation invites us to consider the politics of imagery at this time. The artist may have aimed to portray Corday as a poised and even sympathetic figure, despite her act of violence. To fully understand the implications of this image, we might research how the French Revolution was perceived in different social circles. How was the revolution understood by women, and how were they portrayed in visual culture? Historical documents, pamphlets, and popular prints of the era can help shed light on this artwork's complex context.