Category: Exhibitions
Napoleon, Emperor of the French and Charlemagne, King of the Franks
Although a thousand years (literally) separate Napoleon and Charlemagne, they have a lot in common: both ruled France; both created empires that united much of Western Europe; both crossed the Alps via the Great Saint Bernard Pass to invade northern … More
Les Merveilleuses
Napoleon’s wife to be, Marie-Josèphe-Rose de Tascher de la Pagerie, was one of a small elite of remarkably gifted, charming and alluring young women around whom Parisian Society gathered at the close of the eighteenth century. Out of the chaos … More
Napoleon and the Platypus
Did you know that it was a French Zoologist, Étienne Geoffroy de Saint-Hilaire, at the Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris, who recognised that the platypus belonged to the rarest of families – Monotremes (along with the echidna)? It was first … More
Rethinking an unknown carte-de-visite
While searching through the NGV’s collection of Australian cartes-de-visite recently we came across this image. The intricate hairstyles, ornate fashion and curiously casual poses of the unidentified people caught our attention. Their intense gaze seemed to provoke further investigation. Since … More
Flimsy Female Fashion in the age of Napoleon
The garments worn by fashionable young women following the Revolution were famously dominated by muslin. In imitation of the ancient Greeks and Romans whose simplicity and elegance of dress was synonymous with democracy and the Roman Republic, post-Revolutionary Fashion set … More
On Light in Digital Imaging
Asking a photographer how they approach light in their work is like asking a musician how they approach sound. It is hard to know where to start. Ansel Adams did a good job of splitting photography in half, by suggesting … More
Napoleon at the Great St Bernard Pass
When you visit the Napoleon exhibition, look closely at the small black & white drawing by Naudet of Napoleon crossing the Alps at the Great St Bernard Pass, and amazingly you will find a French soldier giving a titbit to … More
This website may contain links to external sites that contain information beyond the control of the National Gallery of Victoria. No responsibility is taken for any information or services which may appear on any linked website.
