Aimable-jean-jacques Pélissier, Duc De Malakoff, Maréchal De France 1857

Henryk Rodakowski painted Aimable-Jean-Jacques Pélissier, Duke of Malakoff and Marshal of France. This portrait is a potent example of the power of imagery in constructing national heroes. Painted during the Second Empire, this image depicts a man who was essential to the creation of a newly confident French identity. The Crimean War, and in particular, the siege of Sevastopol, had been a humiliation for the allied forces and so the victory at the Battle of Malakoff was essential for the restoration of France's military reputation. Pélissier stands in his elaborate uniform. He holds a baton of command, signifying authority, and the landscape behind him suggests a battlefield. Portraits like these are fascinating documents for social historians. Research into military and court archives as well as contemporary press coverage helps us to understand the intersection of art and politics in 19th-century France.