Representing Napoleon

Analyzing Visual Primary Sources

Tuesday, February 26, 13

Identifying bias

• Bias is a tendency to favor a certain belief or point of view over others.

• It is important to identify an artist’s potential bias toward his or her subject when you are viewing a work of art.

• Does the artist have a favorable or unfavorable view of the subject? How do you know? When you are analyzing art like a historian, consider the context in which the piece was created and look for evidence of bias in the artist’s presentation of the subject.

Tuesday, February 26, 13

Napoleon crossing the Alps, Jacques-Louis David, 1800.

Tuesday, February 26, 13

The Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon and the Coronation of the Empress Josephine, Jacques-Louis David, 1806–1807.

Tuesday, February 26, 13

Maniac Ravings, or Little Boney in a Strong Fit, James Gillray, 1805.

Tuesday, February 26, 13

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Tuesday, February 26, 13