Portret van Jean-Baptiste Jourdan 1820 - 1821

This is a print of Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, made by Ambroise Tardieu in France during the early 19th century. Jourdan was an important figure in post-revolution France, and the image presents him as a man of status and authority. The visual codes here are quite clear: Jourdan is formally dressed in a military uniform bedecked with medals and a sash, all of which indicate his high rank and achievements. The title below the image tells us he is a 'Pair de France', a member of the upper house of the French parliament, so the image also speaks to the politics of post-revolutionary France, to the hierarchies of power that were being re-established at this time. As historians, we use resources such as letters, newspapers, and institutional records, to reconstruct the complex web of social and political relations in which this image was produced and consumed. The meaning of a portrait like this is always contingent on such factors, and on the power of institutions to shape taste and influence artistic production.