Image and Imagery in the Age of the Directory (1795-99)
The Political Symbolism of the Revolution between Old and New Horizons
abstract
The creation of a new relationship between power, its image, and the people is one of the numerous innovations that have made the history of the Revolution a pivotal moment in the broader European context. After the experience of the Terror, a new era opened, characterised first and foremost by a political body, the Directory, which would soon become the symbolic epicentre of public power, drawing from symbols and strategies both ancient and modern. Through a combination of institutional analysis and the examination of emblematic cases, this text aims to elucidate the methods of creation and the defining characteristics of a specific public image of the newly dominant power.
Keywords: Public sphere • Image and power • French Revolution • Revolutionary festival • Directory