Napoleon - First 'Spin Doctor'?

Napoleon - the first Spin Doctor?

As you have probably gathered by now, I am currently working on a novel about Napoleon's campaign in Egypt that began heroically in 1798 but ended in disaster in 1801

My story (largely true) tells how a young milliner from Carcassonne married an officer in Napoleon's army. When her new husband was posted to Egypt, she accompanied him disguised as a French cavalry officer

On arrival in Cairo - and now revealed as an attractive young woman - she caught the eye of Napoleon himself and became his mistress - his 'Cleopatra'

In my historical research for this novel I have been struck by the way Napoleon consciously  manipulates his public image for home consumption back in Paris

He does this firstly by simply lying about his failures on the battle field, concentrating entirely on his numerous victories, ensuring that The Directory back in Paris only hears positive news about him and his army

1776

 

He would not be the first general to 'massage' their image but he is certainly one of the cleverest 'spin doctors' in history

Napoleon was always conscious of his diminutive size (5ft.2 inches) and thin, sallow features and therefore commissioned a series of portraits that showed him in a better light

1797

Each successive portrait improves his image, showing him to be a resolute and formidable individual. He also gets better looking with each successive portrait!

1798

This may be a very poor likeness but this young hero's features are positively Byronic. It was, moreover, just one of ninety-two such engravings produced between 1796 and 1799

Not only was Napoleon consciously shaping his public image at this early stage of his career but he was quick to exploit new forms of communication by widely circulating such portraits in the newly burgeoning press back in France - newspapers, broadsheets, pamphlets and posters

1798

Soon the French public (and beyond) were  not only avid for news of their army's continuing victories in Italy but keen also to know more about the young general at its head

Victory at Arcola on the 15th November, 1796 - part of his Italian campaign - provided a perfect propaganda opportunity for the ambitious (and, at that time, relatively unknown) general

The earliest engraving (and the most accurate, historically speaking) shows Napoleon leading the French charge across the bridge at Arcola, accompanied by general Augereau

By 1798, when the engraving below was published, Napoleon is single-handedly leading the charge - this time on foot. He is also carrying a flag - potent image of French nationalism

1798

The little drummer-boy seems to be trying to restrain our impetuous hero - an image designed to tug at the emotions of an enthusiastic public back in France

This same image undergoes a further transformation, leaving Napoleon alone on the bridge, resolutely planting the French flag by himself

1797

Napoleon of course was not the only general consciously developing their public image at this time - they were all at it - but he was the most successful

The Italian campaign - his first, solo expedition at the head of the French army - was a huge success for Napoleon but the perception of this was also due to his skills as a self-publicist and 'spin-doctor'

He would need all these skills because the subsequent invasion of Egypt - the setting for my new novel - proved to be, in military terms, a catastrophic disaster

But that is another story!

Mike Healey

The illustrations for this article are taken from Philip Dwyer's Napoleon - the Path to Power published by Bloomsbury, 2007