Louis Boilly's Reading of the XIth and XIIth Bulletins of the Grande Arme

Author(s): Albert Boime

Source: Zeitschrift fr Kunstgeschichte, 54. Bd., H. 3 (1991), pp. 374-387
Published by: Deutscher Kunstverlag GmbH Munchen Berlin
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Albert Boime

Louis Boilly'sReadingof theXIth and XIIth Bulletins

of the GrandeArmre
The little known painting by Louis-L6opold ing bourgeoisieand interiorscenesof everdaylife
BoillyentitledLa lecturedu Bulletinde la Grande done in modestsize,theselastoccasionallyrepreArmie, recentlyacquired by the St. Louis Art sentingsexuallysuggestivethemesbut now inDutch modelsand tendMuseum,is one oftheartist'smostunusualworks fluencedby 17th-century
and journalisticreand ing towardgreaterobjectivity
bothforitsexceptionalplace in his repertoire
for its singularsubject (Fig. I)'. Dated 1807and portage.Boilly workedfora popularmarketby
exhibitedat theSalon thefollowingyear,it pro- orderingprintsof his paintingsor otherwisealvides a rareglimpseinto the domesticimpactof lowing themto be reproducedand circulatedin
the Napoleonic wars. Even more extraordinary, thepublic domain.Ultimately,thesefoundtheir
it focuseson an artisanalmilieu2,thus tellingus way intothehumblecottageas well as luxurious
somethingabout Napoleon's attemptto win the apartmentsof the period. He produced rapidly
to accommodatethegrowingmarlaboringpeople to his side despitethefactthathis andprolifically
ket
work.
His longevityand enormous
families
million
for
his
cost
their
a
half
military
campaigns
casualtiesand forcedmanywomenintoinevitable output reveal the progressiveevolutionin taste
towards realismthat marks the ascendance of
celibacy.
Boilly's long lifespannedthe years1761- 1845, the middleclass duringthe time of Bonapartist
undertheOld Re- France3.
beginningwithhis maturation
his
successive
then
experienceof thetrauma The subjectoftheSt.Louis ArtMuseum'spicture
gime,
ofthedomestic
of the Revolution,the riseof Napoleon, the Re- is an unusualSalon representation
revolution lifeof theworkingclassesduringtheNapoleonic
storationof theBourbons,and finally,
again in 1830. These years witnessed drastic era. In additionto thetheme,thegenrecomposichanges in culturecorrespondingto the social tionuniquelypresentsitselfas a seriesofsymbolic
a centralconvulsiveaction
shifts,and Boillystruggledto keep pace withthe vignettessurrounding
developingtaste.His firstwork involveda senti- growingout of familystrife.The majorityof the
themesshownatthesemimental,moralizing,
mildlyeroticemphasisusually workswithBonapartist
annual
commissioned
or
emotional
states
characteristic
whether
Salons,
officially
exhibiting
poignant
his
tend
to
heroic
he
established
of the Old Regime.Eventually
conceived,
independently
display
oftheaspir- projections of the emperor, bigger-than-life
forhisnumerousportraits
reputation
and
to SusanSiegfried
I wantto expressmygratitude
JudithW. Mann fortheirgeneroushelp withideas,
in theformation
ofthisartisources,andphotographs
to EdwardBerensonforhis incle. I am also grateful
on Napoleonicdomesticlife.Othsightful
suggestions
are Joni
ers thathave made illuminating
suggestions
Jr.
Kinsey,AngelaMiller,and LawrenceSteefle,

terior.The creamof theworkingclass or thebottom

and
ofthebourgeoisie,
theskilledartisanwas a literate
tradesman.He
oftentimesentrepreneurial-minded
couldafford
thecheapplastercastofNapoleonon the
mantle.
fireplace
ofBoillyseeM. N. Benisovitch,
3Forthe?two?manners
>Une autobiographie
du peintreLouis Boilly,?Essays

Forthepreviousliterature
on thisworkseeH. Harisse,
L.-L. Boilly,peintre,dessinateur
et lithographe:
sa vie

J.S. Held, O. Kurz,Paris1958,366;J.S. Hallam,>>The

Two Mannersof Louis-L6opoldBoilly and French
The ArtBulletin,vol.
GenrePaintingin Transition,?
ina later
ForBoilly'sbusinessinterests
63,1981,618-633.
>>TheArtistas NomadicCaperiodsee S. L. Siegfried,
pitalist:The Case of Louis-L6opoldBoilly,?ArtHis-

et son ceuvreI76i-I845,Paris 1898,81,No. 34; A. Mabille

de Poncheville,Boilly,Paris 1931,116;M. Delafond,

Louis Boilly1761-1845,Musee Marmottan,Paris 1984,io8.

The unadornedinteriorand rolled-upsleevesof the

centralfigurepointunmistakably
to an artisanalin-

in Honor of Hans Tietze, i88a-1954, eds. E. Gombrich,

tory,vol. 13,December 1990, 516-541.

374

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i. Louis-L6opold Boilly,La Lecturedu Bulletinde la Grande Armee,1807.

The SaintLouisArtMuseum.Mr.andMrs.R. CrosbyKemper

theCrosbyKemperFoundations
through

characterizations
destinedto awe his enemiesand
assurehisfollowers.ExamplesaretheCoronation
of the Emperorand The Baron Gros's Battle of
Eylau,bothof whichwerealso shownin thei8o8
Salon. Whentheoccasionalscenesofdomesticlife
are depicted,as forexamplethe work of Martin
and
Drolling,theyexhibitthestableenvironment
harmoniousinteriorsof the bourgeoisie.During
thefifteen
yearsthathe ruledin France,Napoleon
held on to his power by almostcontinuouswar
with France's enemiesand he mobilizedthe arts

to constructa self-imageof both invinciblehero

and caringruler.
His centralizedcontrolover the media predisposed artiststo attemptto gain recognitionand
awards in the officialexhibitionsknown as the
salons by flattering
him. Boilly was a politically
shrewdpainter,who had previouslypainted an
image of the Triumphof Marat - the popular
Jacobinhero- when he was at riskof fallingout
of favorwiththe revolutionary
regime4.The son
of a carpenterand baker'sdaughter,Boillywas a

M. Marmottan,
Le peintreL. Boilly,Paris1913,48ff.;
A. Boime,Artin an Age ofRevolution,
Chicago1987,
contested
457-458.Thisthesiswas recently
by Susan

S. L. Siegfried,
>>Reconsideration
du>Marat<
deBoilly,<<
dela RevoluUngrand
1761-1845:
Boilly
peintrefranfais
tiona la Restauration,
de Lille,
Mus&edesBeaux-Arts

whosuggests
a different
and
Siegfried
interpretation
inwhichtheworkwasdone.See
thecontext
amplifies

1988,6-io.

375

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2. Map ofPrussiashowingadvanceofNapoleon'sarmies
memberoftheupwardlymobileclassthatdid well
underNapoleon's reignbutwhose socialprogress
dependedon how welltheyplayedthegame.Thus
Boilly'singeniouspictureof thecrowdin theSalon admiringthe Coronationof the Emperorby
Napoleon's Court painter,Jacques-LouisDavid,
himselfwithboth
was clearlymeantto ingratiate
the emperorand withthe titularhead of thefine
in France. Indeed, Boilly did
arts establishment

5D. andG. Wildenstein,

au
Documents
complimentaires

cataloguede l'ceuvrede LouisDavid, Paris1973,18o.

6 Explication
architecdesouvragesdepeinture,
sculpture,
tureet gravure,desArtistes
vivans,Exposesau Musee
de la
Napoleon,le 14 octobrei8o8,Secondanniversaire
Batailled'Jyna,
Paris18o8,No. 52;Harisse,L.-L. Boilly,
entitled
82,No. 36(whereit is erronesouly
>>Napoleon
decorequatreartistes<<);M. B., >Beaux-Arts. Salon de
18o8.- No. XVIII. MM. Granet,Berlot,Bouhot,<<

not fail to include himselfand membersof his

familyamongthecrowdof admirerssurrounding
David's famouspicture.David thoughtthe idea
at themomenthe gaveBoillyhisper>>charming<<
missionto reproduceits.
The Readingof theBulletinof the GrandArmy
was accompanied by two other Bonapartist
themes,theDepartureof theRecruitsfromParis
and NapoleonDecoratingFive
on 2 February180o7
Journalde l'empire,29 December18o8.The imageof
awardingthecrossoftheLegion
Napoleonpersonally
and thepainters
d'honneurto thesculptorCartellier,
wasdone
andGrosnaturally
Vernet,
Girodet,Prudhon,
afterthe Salon had openedand it was hungin midDecember,too lateto be listedin theSaloncatalogue.
See also >Empire franqaise,<Journalde l'empire,24
October18o8forthereportoftheactualeventinwhich
David was promotedto Officerde la Legion-d'hon-

376

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watercolor,
3. Louis-LeopoldBoilly,La Lecturedu Bulletinde la Grande
i8o6.
Armere,
PrivateCollection,
Paris

Artistsat the Salon of i808,thus confirming

his
calculatedattemptto winfavorwiththeemperor6.
The Departureof theRecruitsis particularly
sugcriticsweresurgestive,sinceevencontemporary
prisedto see thejoyfulenthusiasmof theyouths
biddingfarewellto theirparents,especiallywhen
therewas widespreadresistanceto conscription.
demands- expressed
Indeed,resistanceto military
and widespreaddethroughriot,self-mutilation
sertion- was theformofpopularprotestor disaf-

fectionmost characteristic
of the period and the
easiestto understand7.
Despite theawesomepresenceof Napoleon, his
and his policies
regimewas fullof contradictions
involvedthe deathsand maimingof hundredsof
thousandsof young men.Althoughhe exported
liberalprinciplesabroad to conqueredterritories,
his organizationof national resourcesrequired
domesticrepression.These contradictionscreep
intotheNapoleonic pictures,pittingtheemperor

neur.The Marmottancataloguepublisheda drawing

entitled>Napoleon decorele SculpteurCartellierau
Salon de i8o8,whichis a preparatory
studyfor the
tableaunow at theMuseeNapoleond'Arenenberg:
see

ofthecoinsbearstheportrait
whose
oftheemperor,
inmorethanoneinstance.
likeness
thepainter
captured

Delafond, Louis Boilly,90-91, No. 79. Supposedly, Na-

de monpoleonownedBoilly'sTrompe-l'oeilauxpikces
naies,surleplateaud'ungueridon(ca. 1808-1814) at the
thatone
Chateaude SaintCloud, and it is significant

See MuseedesBeaux-Arts
Nr.
de Lille,Boilly176z-1845,

themes
depicted
by
p. 120. For otherNapoleonic
L.-L.Boilly,
120, 154,164,168,
178,
Boilly,seeHarisse,

42,

Nos. 407-408, 776-778, 897, 941, 11o2-11o6.

7 Hallam,
>TheTwoManners
ofLouis-Leopold
Boilly,<<
625-626.

377

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detail
4. La Lecturedu Bulletin,
against the resistingforces and oftenrevealing
chinksin hissupposedlyinvinciblearmor.Boilly's
picturesalso show the cracksin the facade that
contrastwith the projectedheroicstatureof the
emperor.This is especiallyevidentin thefamilial
tensionsat thecompositionalcore of theReading
of the Bulletinof the Grand Army.
A patriarchseatedat a tableis surroundedby his
He
extendedfamilyofchildrenand grandchildren.
has just been informedof the progressof the
Frencharmyat thefrontfromthenewlyreleased
bulletin,so oftenslantedto favorNapoleon's militarysituationto keep up thehome morale.The
old man and his son - somewhatin disagreement
- followthemarchof thetroopson a map spread
out on thetable.The elderpointsat one location
8 Thismapwaspublished
in L.-N.Davout,

on the map,whiletheyoungerpointsto another

and both eye each otherwitha look of certainty.
The oldermanholdsin hishanda documentwith
to
the inscription>XII. Bulletin,<corresponding
the i8o6 campaignin Prussia.We can just make
out the letters>ROY< at the top of the map, a
fragment
designatingthe geographicalsite of the
Royaume de Prussethatwould have glossedthe
Frenchmaps used by Napoleon's troops in this
beganthepicture
period(Fig. 2)8. Boillyevidently
French
victoriesin
of
the
after
news
immediately
October reached home, since the preparatory
drawingforthe work is dated i8o6. The titleof
thebulletinin thepreparatory
drawingreads>XI.
Bulletin,<but when the paintingwas completed
the followingyear,Boillyupdatedtheprojectby
to themostrecentbulletinfromthefront
referring
(Fig. 3). Boilly's need to establishthe contextof
his workwitha dateddocumentis exceptionalin
his production,and suggestsa specialconcernfor
accurate.Thisneedforhistorical
beinghistorically
accuracyprivilegestheworkitselfas a document
of the epoch, and removesthe genrescene from
the realmof the mundane.
Napoleon was himselfan avid readerof history
and extolledhistoricalfacts,but he interpreted
themto justifyhis riseto power and his claimto
hegemoniccontrolover the restof Europe. He
understoodthepast mainlyin relationto himself.
The centralimportancegivento the map in the
centerof the paintingyields anotherclue to its
Napoleonic content.Geographywas a majorfield
of studyin Napoleonic France,withgreatemphasis placed on it in the curriculaof the lyc6esand
militaryacademies. Napoleon considered geographyas an exactscienceand linkedit withthe
study of historyin the categoryof >>practical<
knowledge for young minds. Geography was
coordinatedwithhistoryin highereducation;at
theUniversity
ofParistherewerechairsofhistory

Operations
duMarichal
du3ecorps,
Davout,duc
i8o6-i8o7;
rapport
deAuerstaedt,
Paris1896.
9J.K. Burton,
Writing,
Napoleonand Clio:Historical
DurandThinking
Empire,
Teaching,
DuringtheFirst
ham,N.C., 1979, 12, 25-27,

30, 37.

io Harrisse,L.-L. Boilly,82, 176, Nos. 40, 1o71. The first,

M.G.... donnantune legonde geographiea sa fille,

exhibitedat theSalonof 1812;thesecond,La legonde
is undatedand maybelongto
dessinet de geographie,
a laterperiod.

378

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and geographycombined,one forancientand one

formodern.The scope of geographycoursesincludedin imperialtextsparalleledBonapartistmilitaryconquests,plans,dreams,and aspirations9.
Boillyhimselfpaintedand drewscenesduringand
aftertheNapoleonic yearsdepictingchildrenbeingtaughttheirgeographylessono?.Playingcards
- akinto modern>flashcards<<- withgeographical
were designedforuse by both girls
information
and boys, and the officialnewspaperfrequently
ran articleson geographyand reviewsof books
on thesubject".One ofNapoleon's keyhistorians.
Pierre-NicholasChantreau,devoteda majorpart
of his life to promotinghistoricalgeographyin
thecurricula,
andhismonumental
Sciencede l'Histoireis devotedinlargepartto geography12.Above
all, geographyand mapmakingbecameimportant
in thisperiodbecauseNapoleonic Francewas actuallyremakingthe map of Europe. Books and
maps wereproducedin thisperiodshowing>>the
new divisionsof the statesof Europe,<<and these
had to be updated constantlyas Napoleon won
one victoryafteranother.The specialplace ofthe
mapin Boilly'spictureconveystheimportanceof
inFrance,as wellas symbolize
thesedevelopments
thenewchangeswroughton to themapofEurope
by advancingBonapartistarmies.
Meanwhile,a subplot is unfoldingin the foregroundof thepicture:a younggirlhas fabricated
of soldiers?froma set of playingcards
an >>army
whichshe has linedup in formation,
and screams
in horrorwhena dog challenging
a catat theother
end of the room has upsetone regiment
withhis
clumsypaw akin to a domino effect.Her male
soldicompanion,however,withhismake-believe

er'shatriadefroma sugarcakesackand an imaginary gun made froma stick,assumesthe attitude

the >>enemy.<<
of a sentryand fearlessly
confronts
Thus thefeudinganimalsand childrenact out in
fantasythe deadly conflictbeing played out on
the map of Europe.
the children,especiallythe males,
Furthermore,
preparethroughplaywithimaginary
weaponsfor
therolethatwill fallto themin a fewyears13.
The
Napoleonic militarymachinerequireda continuous streamof recruitsto staffthe army,and the
passion formilitarygloryand propagandaof the
theyouthto followtheexample
periodstimulated
of theirleader14.
At theotherend of theroom,an
adolescentmale holds a real rifle,evidentlyborrowedfromthe trooperat thefarrightto whom
the youthnow signalsthe drama unfoldingbetweenthe childrenand the animalson the other
side(Fig. 4). In thismasculineworld,womenserve
to abet the fantasiesof the males.The motherof
the householdnursesher child tranquillyin the
backgroundin theshadow of a plasterbustof the
young Bonaparte- the canonical model of the
thenFirstConsul by theItaliansculptorAntonio
Canova5 - symbolizingherdedicationto himby
thesacrificeof herchildrenon thealtarof empire
(Figs. 5 - 6). It may be noted furtherthatlight
entersthishumbleabode at an angleparallelwith
the angle of the bust and the mother'shead - a
piece of pictorialidolatrythatconfirmsBoilly's
propagandisticintent.
Whileherhusbandstandsinthecenterandpoints
at themap in a locationdifferent
fromthatofthe
old man,presumablyhis father,
thepatriarchdisregardshimto glanceat theyoungwoman at the

childrenplayingas soldiersand symbolically

mythologiques
offering
SSeethead, >jeux de carteshistoriques,
et geographiques,
et a l'amusethemup fortheimperialarmies.See Museedes Beauxdestinesa l'instruction
mentde la jeunessedesdeuxsexes,<<Journal
del'empire,
Artsde Lille,Boilly1761-1845,
No. 39,114-115.
one ofBoilly'scontemporaries
declaredthat
27 December18o8;Peuchet,>>Sciences-Geographie,<<
14 Ironically,
i January
Gazettenationaleou le Moniteuruniversel,
the artist'sclientsconsistedprimarily
of ?les jeunes
1809;>Livresdivers,<<Gazettenationaleou le Moniteur
gensde familleque Napoleon,du jour au lendemain,
NouvelAtlasporuniversel,
envoyaita ses armiesles pluslointaines.<<Harisse,L.28October1807,reviewing
ancienneet moderne,
L. Boilly,41.
tatifet classiquede gdographie
2185sA. Dayot,Napoldonraconte
?d'apresles nouvellesdivisionsdesetatsde l'Europe.<
parl'image,Paris1895,
12
Burton,Napoleonand Clio,79-81.
219; F. Licht,Canova,New York 1983, 97, ioi. Accord'3 Boillyalso paintedTrois
filsde l'auteur
faisantde l'exing to Dayot, thisbust laterservedCanova for his
ofwhichis at
ercisefortheSalon of 1804(a repetition
monumental
statueof Napoleonas Mars now in the
hisown
theMuseede la Chartreuse,
Douai), depicting
ApsleyHouse, London.
379

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5. La Lecturedu Bulletin,detail

otherend of thetable(Fig. 7). He thrustshis chin

in her directionas he pointsat the map,and she
bendstowardshimwithprofoundinterest.
So absorbed is she in the elder's declarationthat she
whichfallsat herside and
abandonsherknitting
the
attentions
of a seatedyoung
amorous
ignores
soldier sportinga bicornehat with a tricolor
plume- who caressesherlimphand.Her indiffer-

6. Antonio Canova, Bust of Napoleon, marble,1803.

Devonshire
Collection,
Chatsworth,
England

380

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7. La Lecturedu Bulletin,detail

ence to this gesture is perhaps most vividly

glimpsedin a preparatory
drawingforthismotif
(Fig. 8).
The meaningoftheexchangebetweenthe,grandfatherand youngwoman mustrelateto thepresence of a someonetheyknow in commonwho is
in the marchto the north.The inparticipating
terestthefamilyexpendsin thismap readinggoes
beyondthemerepatrioticdevotionto theemperor
and probablyinvolvesa youngmanof thehousehold fighting
at thefront.It maybe supposedthat
thisgrandsonis thefianc6or spouse of theyoung

woman,who spendshertimewithherin-lawsor
prospectivein-lawswhileawaitingherlover/husband. The old man remindsthe woman thather
and riskinghis lifeto defend
betrothedis fighting
the honor of France,while she is dallyingwith,
or allowingherselfto be seducedby,rivalsforher
affections.
This mustbe the meaningof the old
finger,which is
man's severegaze and thrusting
not only indexicalbut carriesa moral message.
The youthat thefarrightwho calls the attention
of the othersoldierto the incidenton the floor
reinforces
the gestureby his own pointingfinger
381

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duBul8. Louis-LUopold
Boilly,StudyforLa Lecture
ca. i8o6.
letin,drawing,
CollectionE. V. Thaw,New York
thatmakesindirectallusionto thefighting
at the
front.
As mentionedearlier,thisis not the interiorof
thearistocratic
or affluent
middleclasseliteofthe
that
period
typicallyappearedat theofficialSalon
exhibitions,but that of an artisanalor working
class family.In actuality,Napoleon did not treat
theartisanswithgreatrespectbuttriedto regiment
themlike his troops'6.But his need for cannon
fodderstimulatedhimto courtthemin theyears
1807- 18o8and to establishhimselfas the >friend
of the
This changein his attitude
workingman,<,7.

Sibalis,>Workers,<<HistoricalDictionary
ofNaed. O. Connelly,Westport,
poleonicFrance,179p9-185,

>Les ouvriers
ivepoliticaltendencies.
See G. Vauthier,
de Parissousl'Empire,<<RevuedesEtudesNapolinien-

de
A valuabledocumentof 1807fromthe Prefecture
Policein Parisreportson thestatusof skilledworkers
ofvarioustradeswithspecialsectionson theirrespect-

organizedoppositionof workerswas sporadic,they

as warcontinued.
overconscription
grumbled

16 M. D.

Conn. 1985,512-514.

'7

coincideswiththeloss of some ofhis middleclass

supportdue to his commercialblockadeof Great
Britain that disruptedand halted international
trade. Boilly ingeniouslypicks up on this new
tendencyand thusportrayedtheinfluenceof the
Napoleonicdramaon theworkingclass.The stresses and strainsof the familyare metaphorically
in thedramaof the clashingchildren
represented
and animals,neatlysummedup in the three-way
exchangebetweenthe two cats and the dog.
The melodramaticmood of the subject and its
settingbringsto mindthework of Greuze,who
had died just two yearsbeforeBoilly paintedit.
Boilly's patriarchin conflictwith his eldestson
over the locationof the troops especiallyrecalls
Son
Greuze's two-parttragedyof The Ungrateful
and The PunishedSon. Details such as the illfittingbreechesof the rightleg of each of the
theshadowyattitudeof theveteranat
patriarchs,
the right,and theidenticalstrawchairsat the far
visual
rightofbothworkssuggestan unmistakable
link betweenthe firstof Greuze's seriesand the
Boilly (Fig. 9). The Greuze and the Boilly differ
Son,durhowever;intheUngrateful
thematically,
inga violentfamilyscene,theeldestson is cursed
by his enragedfatherforleavinghis rustichome
forthe army.The women of the familyfunction
as a kind of Greek chorusimploringthe son to
remainin thefirstscene,orpointingto theterrible
resultsof his departurein the sequel. Boilly,on
the otherhand,turnsGreuze's idea upside down
for the benefitof the Bonapartistcrowd: in his
work the familydilemmaagain focuses on the
son's involvementin the armybut thistimethe
connectionfunctionspositivelyto solidifythe
membersratherthanto disunitethem.
The preliminarystudyfor the work differsin
crucialdetailsfromthe finalwork and pointsto
a radicalchangein theme.In thewatercolorsketch
the emphasisis on the exchangebetweenthe old

nes, vol.4, July-December 1913(2), 426-451. Although

382

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9. Jean-Baptiste
Greuze, The Father'sCurse: The UngratefulSon, I777.

Mus6edu Louvre,Paris

man and his son who argueover the locationof

thetroopson themap.The youthat therightnow
stridesoffthestageabsorbedin anotherdocument
- perhapsa copy of the bulletin- and the rifle
leans againstthe wall, while the young woman
puts her arm around the seated soldier and the
otherleans overherrightshoulder.Thus thethematicemphasishas shiftedfromtheexchangebetweenthetwo malesto an exchangebetweenthe
grandfatherand youg woman. Boilly clearly
wantedto emphasizethe familystabilitywith a
strongdominantpatriarchwho keepsthewomen
under control.This correspondsto the propaganda of the empirewhichstressedthe authority
of the males in the household and downgraded
i8Harisse,L.-L. Boilly,176,No. 1074;Mabillede Poncheville,Boilly,i16;VenteArnault,I5 April1835,No. 21;
Vente Bonaparte, 13-16January1840,No. 5.

the positionof the woman. But the upheavalof

societycaused by theunceasingwarfareput great
pressureon the nuclearfamily,especiallyas the
males went to the frontand leftwomen to fend
forthemselves.
It would seemthatBoilly'schange
was deliberatelymade to strengthen
the work's
for
the
of the empire.
appeal
government
The watercolorstudyforthework belongedat
one time to Napoleon's brother,Lucien Bonaparte,and beforehimto theBonapartistpoet Antoine-VincentArnault18.
Arnaultwas a fervent
of
the
supporter
imperialfamily,proclaimingthe
virtuesof both Lucien and Napoleon in his writingsIs.He had accompaniedGeneral Bonaparte
duringtheItaliancampaignof1797,and Napoleon
9Arnault
hisnearidolatrous
openlyconfesses
worship
ofNapoleoninA.-V.Arnault,
Souvenirs
d'unsexagenaire, 4 vols., Paris 1908, IV, 43, 115,391.

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subsequentlychargedhimwiththemissionoforof the Ionian islands

ganizingthe administration
cededbyVeniceto FrancebytheTreatyofCampo
Formio.Arnaultdedicateda poem to Bonaparte
shortlyafterthiseventthatcloseswiththefollowing lines:
Si la valeur,l'humanit6,
"
Sontles vraistitres la gloire,
Chaquepagede votrehistoire
Contient
votreimmortalite.
(Ifvalor,humanity,
Arethetrulyauthentic
virtues
ofglory,
worthy
Eachpageofyourhistory
Containsyourimmortality)2o.
Elsewherehe sang his praisesin essays,plays,
and lyricpoetry,culminating
witha bigger-thanlifeprojectionthatmatchedtheemperor'shighest
Arnaultwas a relative
Significantly,
aspirations2I.
and close friendand importantpatronof Boilly
who also ownedthepainter'spictureoftheCrowd
ViewingDavid's Paintingof the Coronationas
well as drawingsfor Napoleon DecoratingFive
Artistsat the Salon of i8o8and Departureof the
RecruitsfromParis on 2 February1807,thussugforsurvivalunderthe
gestinga commonstrategy
empire22.The factthatArnaultownedfourexamples of Boilly's major Napoleonic subjectsleads
me to suspectthat he is the inspirationbehind
them.ClearlyArnaultdid forNapoleon in poetry
what Boilly did in painting,celebratingthe victories and conquests of Napoleonic France as
muchas themostgrandioseproclamationsof the
bulletins.
In his late Viepolitiqueet militairede Napoldon,
Arnault exults in every Bonapartistdeed and
20o
21
22

8 vols.,Paris1824-1827, IV,447.
A.-V.Arnault,
CEuvres,
Arnault,(Euvres,III, 388-392,V. 225.
Harisse, L.-L. Boilly, 164,178,Nos. 897, 11o4. Boilly's

wife,AdelaideLeduc,was thedaughterof a maternal

uncleof Arnault,and Boillyalso did hisportrait.
Arnaultmayalsohaveownedthepainter'sRduniond'artistesdansl'atelierd'Isabey.See S. Laveissiere,
>L'atelier d'Isabey: Un Pantheonde l'amiti6,<<Mus6e des
Beaux-Artsde Lille, Boilly176-1i845,59-6o. Arnaultalso

knewDavid and devotesa longsectionto thepainter

in his memoirs.See Arnault,Souvenirsd'un sexagenaire,I, 264-267.
23Arnault,
Viepolitiqueetmilitaire
de Napoleon,2 vols.,

whitewashes
misdeed.Everyact
everyBonapartist
no
matter
how
by Napoleon,
illegal,was justified
the
circumstances.
He
claims
thatFrenchyouth
by
enlistedwithardententhusiasm
in Napoleon's armies and supportedhis policies unhesitatingly23.
Above all,Arnaultlovinglyrecountsinscrupulous
detailthebattlesNapoleon won and dismisseshis
losses with a sentenceor two. His reportingof
the campaignsis based largelyon the bulletins,
whichhe admitswerewrittenby Napoleon himself24.

One of Arnault'slongestsectionsmethodically
documentsthe Prussiancampaign,here making
use ofmaterialin theEleventhand TwelfthBulletins25.Actually,both the Eleventhand Twelfth
Bulletinsappearedin thesameissueof theofficial
government
newspaper,Gazette nationaleou Le
Moniteur Universel,27 October i80626.NapoleonicbulletinswereessentialorgansofBonapartof the
ist propaganda,the domesticcounterparts
the
ordersof the day designedfor
troops.Numberedconsecutively
foreach campaign,theywere
printedin the Moniteurand republishedin the
provincesby prefects,mayors,and membersof
the clergy.The bulletinswere posted on town
halls and even on the churches,and until1812 theyearoftheRussiancampaign- allwereprinted
intheofficialgovernment
newspaper.Thesebulletinswerewidelyreadbyciviliansanxiousfornews
fromthefront.Generally,
a bulletinappearedafter
battle
sometimes
even two a day - to
every
fears
and
forestall
adverse rumorsthat
placate
almost
demoralize
civilians.
These
bulletins,
might
all ofthemwritten
byNapoleon himself(although
he insistedthatthe source be kept secret),were
Paris 1822-1826.I am usingthe thirdeditionof 1836:
de Napoldon,3 vols.,
Arnault,Viepolitiqueet militaire
Brussels 1836,Ii, 44-45,173-174,III, 136Arnault's strate-

giesseemedto haveworked;theemperorbequeathed
to the authorin his will of I5 April1821the sum of
Souvenirs,
100,000francs.
I, iiii.
24 Ibid.,I, 336-337,
III, 136.
25Ibid., III, 286-296.
de la Grande-Arm6e.
26 >OnziemeBulletin
Mersebourg,
le 19 Octobre18o6;
Bulletinde la Grande,Douzieme
Armbe.Halle,le 19 October
18o6,Gazettenationaleou
le Moniteuruniversal;27 October18o6.

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meantto produce a favorableimpressionof the cutintotwo theFrencharmyand to eliminatethe

situationforciviliansz7.Throughthemhe columnsof 40,000 troops.Yet even though?we
military
imposedhis versionof historyon theFrenchand were in their country,these generalsappeared
builthis legend.The mostnotoriousof thebulle- completelyignorantof our troop movements.
tins is the one he issued duringhis retreatfrom Theybelievedthaton theplainsofJenatherewere
Russia (6 December1812)thatended:?His majes- only 4,000 men;but in factthe greatmajorityof
ty'shealthhas neverbeen better28s.This observa- the armypoured out on thisplain.<
tion could only have been receivedby his most
The TwelfthBulletin,issued fromHalle on the
ferventsupportersas an absurdsubterfuge,
since samedate,openswithsimilarsuccessis discussing
by farthe most importanteventsreportedwere MarechalSoult's pursuitof the enemyuntilthe
with special gatesof Magdeburg.The troopsconfiscatedhuge
accountsof armyaccomplishments,
stresson victorieswon.
storehousesoffoodand suppliesand evena trunk
It is noteworthythat afteri8o6 theybegan to of the Prussianking filledwith money.During
andalmostdisappeareddur- thepursuitof the enemyFrenchtroopscaptured
appearlessfrequently
the
disastrous
Russian
ing
campaign.But in i8o6 1200 prisoners,thirtypieces of cannon,and two
the bulletinscould reportthe successfulencoun- or threehundredcaissons.The primaryaimofthe
terswith the Prussianarmies,and the Eleventh Prussian campaign has been fulfilled.Saxony,
and TwelfthBulletinsare classicexamplesof this Westphalia,and all the territories
situatedon the
left
of
Salon
of
i8o8
bank
of
the
have
been
cleared of the
Elbe
(The
type propaganda.
actually
on
commemorate
the
Prussian
This
now
findsitself
October
to
second
battered
opened 14
army.
army
to a
of
the
at
the
Battle
of
without
reduced
officers,
Jena,
anniversary
victory
transport,
artillery,
thus suggestinga deliberateploy on the part of thirdof what it was eightdays ago. Even worse,
Boilly to earmarka special work forthe show.) thePrussianarmyhas lost its moraleand all selfFor example,the EleventhBulletin,issued from confidence.The bulletinthengoes on the report
Merseburgand dated i9 October i8o6,opened by the contentsof a letterfroma Prussianofficerto
in thefieldafter
statingthat ?the numberof [Prussian]prisoners- hiswifethathad beenintercepted
taken at Erfurtis much greaterthan originally the battleofJena.
Afterlettinghis wifeknow thathe has survived
believed.<<It goeson to saythatNapoleonictroops
routedand chasedtheenemyfromDienitz (Beut- the ?unfortunate
battle,< he goes on to reportthe
and Rabatz. When loss of one halfthe armyas well as ?all of our
nitz?),Peissen(Weissenfels?),
thePrussiancavalrydecidedto chargeatone point, best generals.<<He statesthatif he wishedto initwas quicklyrepulsed.It is statedthattheFrench formhis wifeof all thedisastersthathad befallen
amount
in theirturn?suffered
only theloss of fortymen thePrussians,itwouldrequirean ?infinite
killedand two hundredwounded?- a totallyfalse oftime.?He adviseshiswifeto informtheirfriend
figure.The officialreportsnoted the death of Schuberten?thathis oldest son was killed< and
nearly 7,000 troops at the battle of Auerstedt thatthe youngeris missingin action,along with
alone. (Indeed, Boilly's scene of the drafteesof Jarusch,Michalzeckand JosephTyralla.He conto callup replace- tinuesto recountthelossesoftroopsandthechaos
1807recordsNapoleon's attempt
mentsforthelossesoftroopsincurredin thePrus- in the Prussianranks.?The battalionsof Lostin,
sian campaign.)The bulletingoes on to declare Borckand Grodanano longerexist.Theyformed
thatthe supply officerclose to the emperorre- part of the rearguardthat has been entirely
ported that ?the disorderof the Prussianarmy chopped into pieces. It is impossibleto give an
On theeve ofthebattle,howwas
indescribable.,<
27 R. B. Holtman,
NapoleonicPropaganda,BatonRouge,
ever, their boasting was without parallel. The
1940,92-96; >>Bulletinsof theGrandeArm6e,<<HistorPrussian generals,imitatingas best they could
ical DictionaryofNapoleonicFrance,89.
of theGrandeArm6e,<<
28 >>Bulletins
Frederickthe Great,thoughtit would be easy to
p. 89.
385

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detail
io. La Lecturedu Bulletin,

idea of the ferocitywithwhich the Frenchhave

pursuedus.<<And he abruptlyendstheletterwith
his location.
We may well conclude thatthisdocumenthad
been editedand alteredto suita Frenchaudience.
There are no comforting
words to the wife and
not a singlenegativethoughtabout the Frencha curiousomissiongiventhe catastrophicimpact
of thisencounteron theirfriendsand colleagues.
thehumancomponentofthisbulleNevertheless,
tin,theinclusionofa personalnotefroman officer
to his wife,may yield a clue to the contentsof
thepainting.The centralmessageof theletterinvolvingtheloss of friendswould have had a profound appeal to civilianson both sides worried
abouttheirsons,fathers,
andhusbandsatthefront.
The centralmotifofthepicture,withitsemphasis
on thepatriarchof thefamilyand theyoungwo29 >>Int&rieur.
z2eBulletinde l'Arm'e

d'Espagne,<<Gazette
Nationaleou le Moniteuruniversel,
8 January
1809.

man,would seemto suggesta Frenchcounterpart

forthe Prussianpair.The woman,who has been
knitting,is eager for news fromeitherher betrothedor her husband.She listensavidlyto the
grandfather's
descriptionofthetroopmovements
and the success of the Frenchtroops,heartened
by thepossibilitythathe was survivedthebattles.
Thus the Prussianwife'sbad news is the French
wife'sgood news.
The importanceof this subject may be better
understoodin the lightof the periodin whichit
was exhibited.In i8o8Napoleon's seizureofSpain
gothimembroiledinthecomplexpoliticsofSpain,
and provedto be theworstmilitaryproblemfor
himpriorto theRussianCampaign.Guerrillawarfarepinneddown his troopsand his need to redirecthis resourcesto thatcountryweakenedhis
positionelsewhere,includingPrussia.In addition,
the Englishenteredthe war on the side of Spain
and eventually
drovehimfromthepeninsula.The
bulletinsfromthisperiodnow appearmorerarely
and changetheirtone.One clue to thestalemated
positionin Franceis thebulletinfromSpain of 8
January1809whichendswitha reporton theharsh
weatherconditions.It ends with the following
statement:
>We aresuffering,
buttheEnglishmust
be suffering
even more<<29.
In theend,Boilly'spaintingcelebratesthegender
bias oftheregimeand maybe considereda clinical
case studyof patriarchaldominanceoutlinedin
the Civil Code. The familygroups around the
- symbol of traditionalauthoritygrandfather
and thefather,
a robustmalewithhissleevesrolled
to
a
Womenarepreup expose powerfulforearm.
sentto nurture,serve,and ornamentthe household. The littlegirlwho emitsa cryin a response
to thedog upsettingtherow of make-believesolderisremindsus thatexpressionofemotionis also
a femininetraitand thatwomen could be venerated for theirsuperioremotionalqualities (fig.
of hermayalso
10)30. The cat who archesinfront
be a femininesymbolwho is being confronted
witha distinctly
maledog who servesas a totemic
complementof the malesin the centralmotif.(It
30

Educationof,?HisJ.K. Burton,>>Women, ?>>Women,

toricalDictionaryofNapoleonicFrance,5o8-5II.

386

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was a commonpracticeof Boilly to add animals

thenarrative
in hispictureto complement
motifs13.
The Civil Code - theCode Napoleon promulgatedin 1804- declaredmasteryforthehead of the
household and accorded inferiorstatusfor women. The fatherwas assigned almost despoiic
power over the family.Women had no political
rights,and husbandswerebound to carefortheir
wives' needs. Wives,in turn,had to residewith
theirhusbandsand could be forcedby thepolice
to returnhome. A wife owes obedience to her
husbandjust as a citizenowes obedienceto the
emperor.Women'splace was in thehome,where
theyworeseveralhats:wife,lover,and companion
to offeradvice and listen;and mother,to instill
virtuesand raisechildrenforthe progressof the
nation.Napoleon imposedon Frenchsocietyhis
view thatwomen mustbe treatedas irreponsible
minorsthroughouttheirlives. He once told the
son ofMadamede Staelthat>>womanshouldstick
to knitting,<<a commentthatbelied his genuine
In anotherinstance,
fearof the militantfemale32.
at a dinnerpartygivenby Talleyrand,in response
to Germainede Stael'squestion:>>Who would be
foryou the greatestwoman?<<, he replied,>>The
one thathas made the mostchildren<<33.
Justas Napoleon was the sole authorityin the
state,so the husbandand fatherwas to exercise
authorityover his family.In this sense,Boilly's
paintingis an allegoryof the ideal Napoleonic
staterepresented
by its microcosmicfamilyunit.'
resemblanceto NapoThe youngfather'sstriking
relationtheidea ofa metaphorical
leon reinforces
This
conship betweenthe familyand the state.
structionis also the motifof a cantatawrittenby
Arnaultfora specialfestivalhonoringtheemperor
and empressin whicha chorusof womenintones

that Napoleon >governsus as a father,<<a male

chorus answersthat?He defendsus as a king,<<
and ?thepeople<<shoutinunisonthatall ofFrance
Undertheemperor,the
?formsa singlefamily<<34.
stateoffersits citizensprotection,and underthe
aegis of the head of the household,the family
protectsthe women and children.Boilly ingeniouslyusesan artisanal,
workingclassfamilyrather
thanan artistocratic
or bourgeoisfamily,thusattestingto the democratizingof social lifeunder
Napoleon. Despite the authoritariancast and
genderbias oftheCivil Code, it embodiedforthe
timein thehistoryof modernnationsa systemof
to all
unifiedlaw, applicablewithoutdistinctions
classesofcitizens.The civilrightsand itsguarantee
of equalityin the eyes of the law, however,were
to be dispensedby >the rule of men.<<Boilly's
to
picturebearswitnessto Napoleonic intentions
to
diverse
various
media.
appeal
groupsthrough
He reliedon propagandato promotetheacquiescence of thepopulationin his schemesthatin fact
took thelivesoftheirsons,husbands,fathers,
and
lovers.
Thus Boilly's image of the patriarchalfamily
readingtheTwelfthBulletinrecalleda bettertime
fortheNapoleonic troopsand meantto buoy the
hopesoftheanxiousfamilieswhosememberswere
tied down in Spain and assurethe broad masses
in sympathywiththem.That Boilly's work was
to be viewed this way may be gleaned froma
critic'sremarkon hispaintingofNapoleon awardingtheL6giond'honneurto severalartistsshown
at the exhibitionlater in the year: ?This small
picture,analogous in more than one way to the
flashytrifles[Bluettes]bywhichourlittletheaters
celebrategreateventsand greatmen,is enjoying
- again like them- its ephemeralsuccess<<35.

dansla courdes
3ISee especiallyL'arriveede la diligence
Museedu Louvre,wheretheanimalsmime
messageries,
to SusanSiegfried
for
thelovingcouples.I am grateful
in Boilly'sMes
Even morestriking,
thisobservation.
hischildren
playingas soldiers,
petitssoldats,depicting
a dog balanceson his hindlegsand graspsa stickbetweenthepawsofhisforelegs,
thusimitating
theposes

of the childrenholdingtheirtoy rifles.Mus&e des

Beaux-Arts
de Lille,Boilly1761-1845,
No. 39,114-115.
32
TheAgeofNapoleon,
NewYork1963,I2I.
J.C. Herold,
33Arnault,Souvenirs,
IV, 25.
34Arnault,(Euvres,III, 372.
35 M. B., >>Beaux-Arts.Salonde i8o8,
Journalde l'empire,
29 December18o8.

Photos: I, 4, 5,7, 8, io, The St. Louis Art Museum; 2, 3, 6, Der Verfasser;9, Documentationphotographiquede
la R6uniondes mus6esnationaux.
387

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