The Corsican Adventurer. Images of Napoleon

Napoleon was a master of self-publicity and public relations. Great artists created his image as the omniscient Emperor, a semi-divine leader and a great military leader and inspiration. These images spread throughout Europe and beyond to create the legend of Bonaparte affectionately known to his troops as “Le Petit Caporal” or “The little corporal”.

For the English, however, Bonaparte was the ‘bogey man’, feared and respected in equal measure. British caricaturists such as Gillray (1756 – 1815) and Cruikshank (1792 -1878) used scorn and laughter to spread defiance to the mass market of the British population.

Which version of Bonaparte was most accurate?

Find out more by coming to the lecture.

Our speaker Nicole Mezey studied Art History at the Universities of Sussex, York and Paris. She was Senior Lecturer at Queen’s University, Belfast until 2009, working primarily with adults, managing and teaching on both the part-time degree and extra-mural programmes. Nicole also established and was first Director of the Department of Art History in Northern Ireland.

Nicole is now a freelance lecturer, working for organisations including the National Museums, universities, the National Trust and private companies. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and of the Higher Education Academy and her publications focus on adult education and the arts.