Foot Soldier of Napoleon

Foot soldier of Napoleon’s army in full dress uniform

One of several drawings from “La Vieille Armee francaise” (1820) or “La Vie politique et militaire de Napoleon” (Paris, 1826), showing infantry uniforms or “military exploits under the First Empire, which made [Charlet’s] work popular with the opposition under the Restoration and influential in the propagation of a mythic view of the Napoleonic era” (Oxford Art Online: Charlet, Nicolas-Toussaint). This is an illustration of one of Napoleon’s foot soldiers in full dress uniform. The soldier stands facing the viewer in a landscape of rocks and trees.

His full dress uniform is white trousers, a white waistcoat, and a blue swallowtail cutaway jacket lined in red, with a tall standing collar and red cuffs. It has white facings, small gold buttons, and gold epaulettes with red fringe. A red military medal is pinned on his chest. He wears tall white gaiters over black boots. Two wide white straps cross the center of his chest, supporting a blue pack visible above his shoulders. Another white strap over his shoulder probably carries his sword, only the very tip of which is visible next to his knee.

He holds his long rifle at his side. He has a tall black bearskin cap or shako, with a red and green plume, a gold strap and two gold tassels, one just visible at the right side of his hat. He has a large mustache. Behind him in the distance is the figure of Napoleon, facing away and looking downward as if in thought. He wears his bicorne hat and his sword, and holds a sheaf of papers behind his back.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges