When Pommies Scoff Frenchified Potentate Napoleon Bonaparte I

Copyright– https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

References– Nadine Orenstein, Constance C. McPhee Infinite Jest: Caricature and Satire from Leonardo to Levine Exh. cat.: September 13, 2011 – March 4, 2012. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New Haven and London, 2011, Entry by Constance McPhee, cat. no. 135, p. 174, ill.

Entitled “From Top to Bottom, or Cause and Effect (Du haut en bas…ou les causes et les effets)” this Parisian satire portrays the renowned British caricature “Little Boney” a recurring depiction of Napoleon Bonaparte, who was subject to widespread mockery by the British. Published shortly after Napoleon’s abdication, the piece suggests a nuanced interpretation of his downfall.

The satire posits that Napoleon’s ambitious military strategies, manifested in simultaneous campaigns across Europe, precipitated his demise. While French forces initially triumphed in Spain in 1808, they faced resilient guerrilla opposition bolstered by British intervention. Subsequent defeats in 1812 compelled a retreat over the Pyrenees. Concurrently, Napoleon embarked on the ill-fated Russian campaign, culminating in the capture of Moscow but ultimately leading to a disastrous retreat amid harsh conditions and logistical failures.

Depicted in the artwork is Napoleon’s figurative fall from grace, symbolized by splintering stilts representing his precarious hold on Madrid and Moscow. As he relinquishes the imperial regalia – the orb and scepter – he descends towards Fontainebleau Palace, where he formally abdicated on April 11, 1814. Unlike the often derisive British prints, this French portrayal evokes a contemplative mood, offering a poignant reflection on the downfall of a once-great figure.

—By Researcher Aaloy Gangopadhyay

Researcher Aaloy Gangopadhyay

Aaloy Gangopadhyay, a graduate student, Department of History in Visva Bharati University, India. A writer of travelogues, poems, scholarly articles, and a vocalist with 18 Studio-recorded songs, he contributed articles for United Nations, Times NIE, Observer, Le Visage, and poems for Ankur Art and Cultural Magazine, The Mag, Literatures Light, The Literature Today and in anthologies namely, “Roobaru” and “Poems from Best Poets”; also published papers in UGC, India accredited Journals, both in print and in digital media: “Equality of Sexes in Indian Majoritarian Ethos: A Perspective” in The Literary Herald, India; “Untangling Sociological Perspective on Cultural Differences” in a peer reviewed collection The Myriad of Meanings in Literary Culture Studies, USA.