Art and Architecture Collection > The Empire and Regency Styles > Background Research

France – Social History

Napoleon Bonaparte came to power on the ashes of the fiery French Revolution, and distinguished himself militarily during the brief and chaotic Directoire period (1795-98). General Bonaparte engineered his rise from First Consul to Emperor in 1804 by cleverly manipulating weak politicians and an admiring army. Napoleon’s coronation, a dazzling display of pomp and pageantry, signaled the beginnings of an energetic overhaul of the French establishment in which his hand could be seen everywhere. Napoleon’s personal involvement extended to the creation of an artistic style, based on the Neoclassical aesthetic, which celebrated monumental scale, masculine severity, and bold ornamentation. 

Boime, Albert. Art in an Age of Bonapartism 1800-1815. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990. (3-MAM 91-5522)
A study of the wide-ranging effect of Napoleon on the arts in France, England, and continental Europe. Examines social, political, and economic factors and the careers of key fine artists.

Gengembre, Gérard. Napoleon: The Immortal Emperor. New York: Vendome, 2003. (JFF 03-3292)
Handsome illustrated survey of the iconography of Napoleon from his era to the present.

Mansel, Philip. The Eagle in Splendor: Napoleon I and his Court. London: George Philip, 1987. (JFF 88-890)
Explores the protocol, pomp, pageantry, and motivation behind Napoleon ’s establishment of an imperial court.