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Secondary sourcePainting

The 18 Brumaire

An engraving showing the chaotic scene of the Coup of 18 Brumaire, the event Sieyès helped set in motion.

Depicts the coup Sieyès helped instigate, the event that ended the Directory he had resisted joining.

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Black-and-white engraving of a chaotic legislative chamber. A man on a rostrum raises his arm while soldiers with raised rifles and tall shakos fill the room. Men in dark coats sit or lean on benches in the foreground. Captions read 'Le 18 Brumaire' and 'Der 18 Brumaire'.
Der 18. Brumaire, engraving. Historical Museum of the Palatinate, Germany.

About this source

What it is

This black-and-white engraving, held by the Historical Museum of the Palatinate, depicts the Coup of 18 Brumaire. It shows a crowded legislative chamber with soldiers carrying raised rifles while men in dark coats react in confusion, captioned 'Le 18 Brumaire' and 'Der 18 Brumaire'.

Why it matters

The coup of 18 Brumaire ended the Directory and brought Napoleon Bonaparte to power. Sieyès was one of the plotters who helped organize the coup, hoping to reshape French government, though he is not clearly identifiable in this particular image. The chaotic scene captures the collapse of revolutionary institutions into military-backed rule.

Look closer

  • What details in the image suggest this was a moment of crisis rather than an orderly transfer of power?
  • Why might soldiers appear inside a legislative chamber?
  • What does the print's two-language captioning suggest about who it was made for?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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