Portret van Charles Pierre Fradin 1820 - 1821

Ambroise Tardieu created this portrait of Charles Pierre Fradin, a deputy of the department of Vienne, using engraving. Fradin lived through a revolutionary period in France. In 1789, the year of his election, the French Revolution shook the foundations of society, challenging the established order of monarchy and aristocracy. In portraits like these, the emphasis on individual achievement and civic duty reflected the revolutionary ideals of equality and meritocracy. While outwardly egalitarian, the revolution was still a highly gendered and classed affair, and the portrait reflects this. Fradin is presented in a manner befitting his status, in a suit and tie. But perhaps the real point is that he is identified as a man of the people, a ‘deputy’ rather than a noble. Fradin’s identity is explicitly linked to his political role, underlining the changing values of French society at the time. The image is a reminder of the complexities inherent in revolutions. While it embodies the ideals of progress and equality, we have to ask, who really benefited?