Distribution des aigles et la bénédiction des drapeaux, le 10 mai 1852, au Champ-de-Mars 1855

Isidore Pils painted this oil on canvas in France to commemorate the "Distribution of the Eagles," an event held by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte in 1852. The ceremony was modeled on a similar event held by his uncle, Napoléon I, and intended to associate Louis-Napoléon's regime with the glory of the First Empire. Pils has captured the distribution of new military standards to the army on the Champ de Mars in Paris. The composition emphasizes a hierarchy, with Louis-Napoléon at the top of the stairs and ordinary soldiers massed below. The standards themselves are prominently displayed, acting as visual symbols of national identity. The event was carefully staged to create a sense of national unity and to legitimize Louis-Napoléon's rule, soon to be formalized as Emperor Napoléon III. Examining such paintings in the context of historical sources helps us to appreciate the ways in which images of power have been deployed throughout history.