Sketch for ‘Reception of Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie by the Kabyle Leaders at Algiers on September 18, 1860’ c. 1862 - 1867

Isidore Pils created this oil on canvas sketch as a preparatory study for a grander painting, depicting Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie's visit to French Algeria in 1860. Pils, as a painter deeply entrenched in the French academic tradition, often depicted scenes that glorified French nationalism and imperial exploits. This sketch offers insight into the power dynamics at play during French colonization. We see Napoleon III and Eugénie, figures of European royalty, greeted by Kabyle leaders. The Kabyle people, indigenous to Algeria, are positioned here in a posture of reception, underscoring the dynamic between colonizer and colonized. The sketch is not merely a record of an event, but a statement about France's imperial reach and its perceived relationship with the Algerian people. As we gaze upon this sketch, consider the narratives it leaves out and the voices it silences. The emotional experience of those whose land was being occupied is palpable in their faces, forever captured through Pils's artistic lens.