A must for those who are interested in popular art. Anyone who works on the napoleonian myth should read this book.A very good book on Napoleonic art This book deals with a largely ignored topic which is that of analysing the considerable output of Napoleonic-themed prints produced mainly by the Pellerin firm in Epinal. The author weaves in the historical perspectives of the nature of these prints and the social role they play in shaping the perceptions of the French nation in the post-Napoleonic era. In that respect, this book has succeeded marvellously.However, the analysis of the prints themselves is problematic. The prints generally deal with the pictorial representation of Napoleon as an iconic figure as well as representations of his military campaigns. To do full justice to these prints then, one should be familiar with the military uniforms and the correct representation of Napoleon's military achievements. The author is obviously unfamiliar with the military aspects of the Napoleonic era as there are numerous errors in interpretation of these prints in this book. Furthermore, she is also unaware of the full panoply of Napoleonic paintings from which many of the artisans of these prints may have drawn their ideas.For example, she has confused the red uniform of the first consul in a painting by Gros with that of the uniform of the Colonel General of the Grenadiers a pied in a print by Georgin. Both uniforms were worn by Napoleon. The author also thinks that the print entitled Napoleon at the Camp of Boulogne was based on the famous painting by David entitled The Distribution of the Eagles. The print is more likely to be based on a painting by Debret entitled Distribution of the Cross of the legion of Honour 1804 with which it shares remarkable similarity. In another print, she has mistaken the green uniform of the Chasseurs a cheval for that of the Grenadiers a pied, another of Napoleon's favourite uniform. In a Georgin print entitled The battle of Essling-Death of the Duke of Mentebello, she doesn't realise that the dying Marshal Lannes is the Duke of Montebello, and she wrongly ascribes this to an Austrian officer in a white uniform! In a Vernet print entitled Napoleon at the battle of Lutzen, what she has identified as Imperial cavalry looks more like horse artillery. In yet another print by Raffet entitled They Grumbled and Continued to Follow Him, the author states that Napoleon was leading them out of Russia. Napoleon never led his troops out of Russia (he left them to Eugene Beauharnais and rushed back to Paris) and the print is obviously based on themes during the 1813-1814 campaign in France.In a Vernet painting entitled Battle of Wagram, she identifies a page as an officer and she wrongly gives the year of the battle of Austerlitz as 1804 when it should have been 1805.Despite these numerous errors and others, the book is a very entertaining read and I thorough recommend it.
