The Day's Orders (L'Ordre du Jour)
May 1859
Medium
Albumen print
Dimensions
Image/paper: 24.9 × 18.6 cm (9 13/16 × 7 3/8 in.); Mount: 40.5 × 30.3 cm (16 × 11 15/16 in.)
Classification
photograph
Department
Photography and Media
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
205408
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
In this highly staged composition, which he nevertheless presented as a news photograph, Camille Silvy adapted a traditional genre painting for the depiction of a topical event. In May 1859, Emperor Napoleon III led the French Army into Italy to aid the controversial Italian unification movement (and secure the region of Nice for France). To rally French citizens behind his undertaking, the emperor sent his address to the frontline troops—the "Day's Orders"—instantly by electric telegraph back t...