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First-Hand Descriptions of Napoleon
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Napoleon in Italy
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Miot de Melito at the time of the first Italian Campaign: "I was singularly
impressed by his appearance. Nothing corresponded to the picture which
my fancy had made of him. In the middle of a number of Staff officers
I noticed a man under middle height, of extraordinary leanness. His
unpowdered hair, cut square beneath the ears in a most peculiar fashion,
fell down over his shoulders. He wore a loose coat buttoned up to the
neck, edged with narrow gold braiding, and a hat with tricoloured plume.
At first sight his face did not appear handsome, but the strongly pronounced
features and ardent, scrutinizing eyes, combined with his sudden, impulsive
movements, betokened a determined character, while his broad forehead
declared the deep thinker."[1]
The son of General Würstemberger, who accompanied Napoleon through
Switzerland after Camp Formio in 1797: "Bonaparte was rather slight
and emaciated-looking; his face, too, was very thin, with a dark complexion.
His profile was very prominent. His looks and expression were earnest
and powerful; his black, unpowdered hair hung down evenly over both
shoulders in wide, lengthy tresses-oreilles de chien [dog's ears], as
one says-and was gathered into a rather flattened pigtail reaching to
the middle of his narrow back. He wore a blue overcoat, with-if I remember
rightly-an embroidered collar."[1]
During the same trip, General von Graffenried von Gerzensee described
Napoleon: "Bonaparte wore a simple coatee, close-fitting trousers, and
boots reaching to the calf, trimmed with gold braid. His long hair was
gathered in a pigtail. He was very thin and haggard; coughed often,
as if he were consumptive, and was hollow-chested. He had a soft, weak
voice....His speech was short and precise and uncommonly interesting.
His eyes were mild and speaking, his tones pleasing, and his mouth full
of expression."[1]
Chateaubriand described him, during the Consulate: "His face made a
favourable impression on me, for up to now I had seen him only in the
distance. His smile is friendly and winning, his eyes wonderful, especially
in the way they are set deep under his forehead and overshadowed by
his eyebrows. There is nothing of the charlatan in his appearance, nothing
theatrical or artificial....An extraordinary imagination animated this
cold politician; lacking the inspiration of this Muse, he could never
have attained such heights."[1]
A description by Hyde de Neuville, Royalist conspirator, in his memoirs:
"The door opened. Instinctively I looked at the man who came in, short,
thin, his hair plastered on his temples, his step hesitating; he was
not in the least what I had pictured to myself. I was so wanting in
perception that I took him for a servant, a mistake which was confirmed
when he walked across the room without taking any notice of me. He leaned
his back against the chimney-piece, raised his head and looked at me
with such an impressive, such a penetrating glance that I lost all my
assurance under the fire of that questioning eye. To me he had suddenly
grown taller by a hundred cubits."
Joseph Farington (The Farington Diary, New York: G.H. Doran,
1923-8) in 1802 observed Napoleon close up: "He was dressed in Blue
with White waistcoat and Breeches. His Hat quite plain with a very small
Cockade....The ease with which people of all sorts approached him sufficiently
shew'd that He had no personal apprehension....I noticed that He picked
is nose very much,--sometimes took Snuff, and would take off His Hat
and wipe his forehead in a careless manner.-I also remarked that some
of his Officers occasionally spoke to him, without His having addressed
them, and seemed only to be making such remarks as persons who are on
an easy footing do to each other....Here He stood abt. 3 yards from
me abt. 10 minutes reading a paper....I noticed that all his actions
were unstudied and quite & natural & calm....He looked me full
in the face which gave me an opportunity to observe the colour of his
eyes which are lighter, and more of a blue grey, than I should have
expected from his complexion ["His complexion is not as I have heard
it described waxy, but though wanting in colour sufficiently healthy."]....I
thought there was something rather feverish than piercing in the expression
of his eyes, but his general aspect was milder than I had before thought
it....His person is below middle size. I do not think him more than
5 feet 6, I rather judge him to be less than that measure. Mr. [Benjamin]
West [the famous painter] thinks otherwise. ["West thinks him 5 feet
7 inches high."] He is not what can be called thin. He is sufficiently
full in the Shoulders and body & thighs for his age & height....[Samuel]
Rogers [the poet] stood a little way from me and...seemed to be disappointed
in the look of his Countenance and said it was that of a little Italian....[Farington
observed that Napoleon] had no eye-brows, or eye-lash to give strong
expression."
In the same year, an Englishwoman, Fanny Burney, described his face
being 'of a deeply impressive cast, pale even to sallowness, while not
only in the eye but in every feature-care, thought, melancholy and meditation
are so strongly marked, with so much of character, nay, genius, and
so penetrating a seriousness, or rather sadness, as powerfully to sink
into an observer's mind.' She also described his demeanor as 'more the
air of a student than a warrior.'
Mary Berry also saw Napoleon in 1802, stating that his 'mouth, when
speaking...has a remarkable and uncommon expression of sweetness. His
eyes are light grey, and he looks full in the face of the person to
whom he speaks. To me always a good sign.'
A description of Napoleon by Doctor Corvisart in 1802: "Napoleon was
of short stature, about five feet two inches by French measure [5 feet
6 inches, English measure], and well built, though the bust was rather
long. His head was big and the skull largely developed. His neck was
short and his shoulders broad. His legs were well shaped, his feet were
small and well formed. His hand, and he was rather proud of it, was
delicate, and plump, with tapering fingers. His forehead was high and
broad, his eyes gray, penetrating and wonderfully mobile; his nose was
straight and well shaped. His teeth were fairly good, and mouth perfectly
modelled, the upper lip slightly drawn down towards the corner of the
mouth, and the chin slightly prominent. His skin was smooth and his
complexion pale, but of a pallor which denoted a good circulation of
blood. His very fine chestnut hair, which, until the time of the expedition
to Egypt, he had worn long, cut square and covering his ears, was clipped
short. The air was thin on the upper part of the head, and left bare
his forehead.
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The Emperor
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"The shape of his face and the ensemble of his features were remarkably
regular. When excited by any violent passion his face took on a stern
and even terrible expression. A sort of rotary movement very visibly
produced itself on his forehead and between his eyebrows; his eyes flashed
fire; his nostrils dilated, swollen with the inner storm. He seemed
to be able to control at will these explosions, which, by the way, as
time went on, became less and less frequent. His head remained cool.
In ordinary life his expression was calm, meditative, and gently grave.
When in a good humor, or when anxious to please, his expression was
sweet and caressing, and his face was lighted up by a most beautiful
smile. Amongst familiars his laugh was loud and mocking."[2]
A description by Madame de Rémusat: "Bonaparte dictated with
great ease. He never wrote anything with his own hand. His handwriting
was bad and as illegible to himself as to others; and his spelling was
very defective. He utterly lacked patience to do anything whatever with
his own hands. The extreme activity of his mind and the habitual prompt
obedience rendered to him prevented him from practicing any occupation
in which the mind must necessarily wait for the action of the body.
Those who wrote from his dictation---first Monsieur Bourrienne, then
Monsieur Maret, and Méneval, his private secretary---had made
a shorthand for themselves in order that their pens might travel as
fast as his thoughts.
"He dictated while walking to and fro in his cabinet. When he grew angry
he would use violent imprecations, which were suppressed in writing
and which had, at least, the advantage of giving the writer time to
catch up with him. He never repeated anything that he had once said,
even if it had not been heard; and this was very hard on the poor secretary,
for Bonaparte remembered accurately what he had said and detected every
omission. . . . He always derived amusement from causing any one uneasiness
and distress. His great general principle, which he applied to everything,
both great and small, was that there could be no zeal where there was
no disquietude. . . .
"Bonaparte's reception by the troops was nothing short of rapturous.
It was well worth seeing how he talked to the soldiers, ---how he questioned
them one after the other respecting their campaigns or their wounds,
taking particular interest in the men who had accompanied him to Egypt.
I have heard Madame Bonaparte say that her husband was in the constant
habit of poring over the list of what are called the cadres of the army
at night before he slept. He would go to sleep repeating the names of
the corps, and even those of some of the individuals who composed them;
he kept these names in a corner of his memory, and this habit came to
his aid when he wanted to recognize a soldier and to give him the pleasure
of a cheering word from his general. He spoke to the subalterns in a
tone of good-fellowship, which delighted them all, as he reminded them
of their common feats of arms."
A description of Napoleon, by Molé, presiding at the Council
of State: "Sitting deep in the armchair from which he presided...the
little gold snuffbox which he was constantly and automatically opening
to take pinches of tobacco which he breathed in noiselessly and most
of which fell back on the white lapels of his uniform which were soon
covered with it, finally the mechanical movement of his arm to hand
the snuffbox to the chamberlain standing behind him who filled it and
gave it back to him. All that defined him so strongly as a man meditating
in solitude that all eyes were on him but the silence was unbroken..."
Dennis Davidov's description (from his Memoirs) of Napoleon at
Tilsit in 1807: "I have already remarked on how much I was struck by
the overall resemblance of Napoleon to the prints on sale everywhere.
But the same was not true of his facial features. None of the portraits
that I had seen bore the least resemblance to him. Believing them, I
had supposed that Napoleon sported a rather large hooked nose, dark
eyes and dark hair- in a word, the true Italian facial type. In fact,
his face was slightly swarthy, with regular features. His nose was not
very large, but straight, with a very slight, hardly noticeable bend.
The hair on his head was not black, but dark reddish-blond; his eyebrows
and eyelashes were much darker than the colour of his hair, and his
blue eyes, set off by the almost black lashes, gave him a most pleasing
expression. Finally, no matter how many times I had occasion to see
him, I never noticed those frowning eyebrows with which the portrait-pamphleteers
endowed him.
"The man I saw was of short stature, just over five feet tall, rather
heavy although he was only 37 years old and despite the fact that the
lifestyle he followed should not, on the face of it, have let him put
on much weight. He held himself erect without the least effort, as is
common with all short people. But what was peculiar to him alone was
a nobility of bearing and an urbane, martial air, which undoubtedly
was derived from the habit of commanding men and a consciousness of
moral superiority. No less remarkable were the ease and frankness of
his approach, his natural dexterity and the quickness of his movements."
The German author Wieland described him in 1808: "I had been [at the
ball for] hardly a few minutes when Napoleon came over to me from the
other side of the ballroom; the Duchess herself presented me to him,
and he made the usual remarks to me, very affably, but gazing intently
into my face. Probably there is scarcely a human being who has the gift
of fathoming a man almost at first glance, and 'seeing through him',
as one says, in a higher degree than Napoleon. He saw that I, for all
my pitiful celebrity, was only a simple and unassuming old man, and
since he apparently wished to leave me with a good impression of him
for ever, he changed himself for the moment into the form in which he
could be sure of doing so. Never in my life have I seen a man more simple,
quiet, mild and unpretentious. There was not a sign that my companion
was conscious of being a great monarch. He conversed with me like one
old acquaintance with another, and what is more-a thing none of my equals
have yet experienced-continued for an hour and a half without break
and quite alone..."[1]
In 1809 the painter Adam wrote: "There he sat on his little white Arab
horse, in a rather careless posture, with a small hat on his head, and
wearing the famous dust-grey cloak, white breeches and top boots, so
insignificant-looking that no one would have recognized the personage
as the mighty Emperor-the victor of Austerlitz and Jena before whom
even monarchs must bow-if they had not seen him represented so often
in pictures. His pale face, cold features, and keen, serious gaze made
an almost uncanny impression on my mind, while the glitter of the many
uniforms which surrounded him heightened the contrast of his inconspicuous
appearance."[1]
The Russian Baron von Lowenstern first met Napoleon in Vienna in 1809:
"Finally, I was able to see this man! I really must say that as I approached
him, in no way did he make the impression on me that I had anticipated.
I found him more corpulent that he is usually portrayed. His gait was
hardly gracious, his manner lacking honour".
A German teacher in Dusseldorf in 1811: "The Emperor's face was turned
to us in profile, when he bent forward to listen to the President's
welcoming speech. Its pure, classical outline reminded one strongly
of the busts of the [Roman] Emperor Augustus. It was certainly very
imposing....There was also something friendly about it at the moment
he was listening to the speech, and he must, I think, have been in a
kinder and more gentle frame of mind that day. The impression which
he left on me was not at all the repulsive one which I had really expected,
and I was glad of it; for though a world-shattering greatness might
appear in an outwardly disgusting form, it would be incredible that
thousands should be taken in by it, and a whole nation actually carried
off its feet with enthusiasm."[1]
Novelist Paul de Kock , who saw him in 1811, called Napoleon: "yellow,
obese, bloated, with his head too far down on his shoulders."[3]
Two descriptions by British observers in 1815. First Capt. Ross, commander
of the Northumberland: "He is fat, rather what we call pot-bellied,
and although his leg is well shaped, it is rather clumsy, and his walk
appears rather affected, something between a waddle and a swagger-but
probably not being used to the motion of a ship might have given him
that appearance. He is very sallow, with light grey eyes, and rather
thin, greasy-looking brown hair, and altogether a very nasty, priestlike-looking
fellow....He never gave the smallest trouble to anyone, and every day
was the same; he was very communicative, and seemed fond of being asked
questions; his manners are by no means good, and his voice very harsh
and unpleasing."[1]
Sir George Bingham, also aboard the Northumberland: " He was dressed
in a plain green uniform, with plain epaulets, white kerseymore waistcoat
and breeches, with stockings, and small gold shoe-buckles, his hair
out of powder and rather greasy, his person corpulent, his neck short,
and his tout ensemble not at all giving an idea that he had been so
great or was so extraordinary a man."[1]
[1] Kircheisen, F.M. Napoleon New
York : Harcourt, Brace, 1932.
[2] Napoleon - An Intimate Account of the Years of Supremacy
1800-1814. Edited by Proctor Patterson Jones, published by Random
House, Inc., 1992.
[3] Seward, Desmond. Napoleon's Family New York : Viking,
1986.
Placed on the Napoleon Series: July 2002
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