Flânerie: Strolling Amongst Aestheticized Selves of the Romantic Period

A dinner setup in an intricately designed ballroom
Date Published:

This gallery is a virtual stroll through the crowds of Romantic Britain in search of personifications of artistry. As an exercise in flânerie, this gallery juxtaposes and assembles for our view those figures who fashion themselves as artistic through their clothing, conduct, and gestures. These figures demonstrate the diverse ways in which artistic identity was being codified for appropriation and commodified for consumption, and so point to the multiplying intersections of art and commerce.

Napoleon's Retreat from Moscow

Soldiers fighting on a snowy field

Though this image is intended to accurately represent the retreat of Napoleon and his forces from Moscow, the event is fictionalized by the depiction of the troops with an ample supply of clothes and equipment.  In reality, the French forces were in poor condition at this point in the Napoleonic Wars.

Napoleon and His Army Effecting a Wonderful Passage of the Alps, at Mount St. Bernard

Soldiers in a mountain valley

Napoleon on his characteristic white horse is at the forefront of this image, which depicts the French army’s early attempt to cross the Alps. Other men, who are both on horseback and on foot, surround him. At the end of the visible portion of the procession are men tugging at something that is not included in the print. Beyond this group of men is a river and the Alps.

Crossing the Alps

Soldiers crossing a mountain gorge

This image primarily depicts Napoleon's attempt to lead the bedraggled French forces across the Italian Alps. More significantly, the image criticizes Napoleon's lust for wealth and power by including the decontextualized figure of the Asian man, who serves as a symbol of the common perception of Asia as a source of capital.

Bridge of Lodi

Soldiers fighting on a bridge over a river

This image depicts the Battle of Lodi, fought by the French forces (led by Napoleon) against the Austrians (Gen. Beaulieu). The French forces, though caricaturized in this image, were victorious.

Napoleon, when first consul, & madame Josephine, (his first wife) in the Garden at Malmaison

Napoleon and Josephine in a garden

Napoleon and Josephine pose in the garden of their chateau, Malmaison. The image is a combination of historical accuracy and fictional representation: while Napoleon and Josephine are depicted realistically, their property is represented in much better condition than it actually was.

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