Scene from the Mexican Expedition in 1838 1841

Horace Vernet painted this ‘Scene from the Mexican Expedition in 1838’ sometime in the 19th century. It depicts the French navy bombarding the fortress of San Juan de Ulúa in Mexico. What can this image tell us about French politics and culture at this time? Following its revolution, France’s new Republican government aimed to affirm its status as a global superpower. Art was a key strategy to achieve this. Paintings that depicted military victories helped manufacture consent for the nation’s imperial campaigns. Vernet himself was closely tied to the French monarchy and his paintings promoted their political agenda. The composition centres the French officers, with the dramatic skies and plumes of smoke staged to imply action and bravery. Historians like myself use sources such as government records, newspapers, and personal letters to understand more about how paintings were used to serve the ambitions of both artists and institutions. Art is always contingent on social and institutional context.