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Primary sourcePainting1812

The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries

Jacques-Louis David · 1812

An 1812 painting by Jacques-Louis David showing Napoleon as a hardworking lawgiver in his study rather than a soldier.

This painting portrays Napoleon as a dedicated lawmaker, part of the image he and his supporters wished to project.

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Full-length painting of a standing man in a white military breeches uniform with a navy blue coat, gold epaulettes, and a star-shaped medal, one hand inside his waistcoat. He stands in a study with a gilded clock, a red velvet chair, a candelabra, and rolled documents.
Jacques-Louis David, The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries, 1812. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (Samuel H. Kress Collection).

About this source

What it is

This 1812 painting by Jacques-Louis David shows Napoleon standing in his study at the Tuileries Palace, wearing the uniform of a colonel of the Imperial Guard. It was privately commissioned by the Scottish nobleman Alexander Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton, and is now in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Why it matters

Details such as rumpled stockings, a clock reading past four in the morning, and papers labelled 'Code' suggest Napoleon has worked through the night writing laws like the Code Napoléon. David presents him as a tireless civil ruler rather than a warrior, shaping how people at the time and later understood his legacy as a lawmaker.

Look closer

  • What details in the painting suggest Napoleon has been working all night?
  • Why might David choose to show Napoleon as a lawgiver instead of a general?
  • Since Napoleon likely did not pose for this portrait, what does that tell you about how such images were created?

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

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