La famille impériale à Chislehurst
Fondation Napoléon, collection Martial Lapeyre
The rise of photography was so precipitous during the Second Empire that many saw in it a rival to painting. Certain genres, such as the portrait, were indeed seriously threatened by this new medium. And whilst the imperial couple continued to commission official portraits from painters, from the birth of the Prince Impérial in 1856 on they posed regularly for photographers. Reproduced and propagated widely, these photographs in which the sovereigns often appeared in scenes from their private life were very efficient official propaganda.
After the fall of the empire, the members of the imperial family in exile in England continued to «have their portraits taken ». This famous photomontage created from three separate photographs shows them in an interior decorated with Napoleonic memorabilia.
K.H.
Credits: RMN, CGFA, The Artchive, Fondation Napoléon.