The Peace of Amiens

What it is

This is a large historical painting by Jules-Claude Ziegler, dated 1853. It depicts the signing of the Treaty of Amiens between France and Britain. According to the Commons record, the two men clasping hands at the center are Joseph Bonaparte and Charles Cornwallis. The painting shows two men in military uniforms clasping hands, a seated clerk writing at a green-draped table, and a crowd of richly dressed men and women in period clothing.

Why it matters

The treaty ended a period of war between France and Britain. Cornwallis represented Britain in the negotiations, and Joseph Bonaparte signed for France. The painting was made more than fifty years after the event, so it shows how the signing was remembered and presented in the 1800s rather than how it looked at the time.

Look closer

• Who is shown at the center, and what gestures and clothing does the artist use to show their roles?
• Why might a painter made decades later choose to show a crowd of onlookers in the room?
• What might this scene leave out about the people who were not invited into the room?