Seeing the Emperor

Abstract

Seeing and being seen is the glue that cements the relationship between ruler and ruled. That the ruler should present him or herself to the public gaze became even more important in the nineteenth century when his or her subjects began increasingly to call for self-determination. Emperors, like all rulers, had to be on show and, though they could sometimes be seen in the flesh, most people had to rely on images, which had to be carefully composed. The chapter discusses the different iconographical types of official imperial portrait. The technical means to reproduce and disseminate images became more and more sophisticated during the nineteenth century, with photography and film the most important innovations.