The 1792 Room

Now we’re in the south wing, in the only remnant of the rooms King Louis-Philippe commissioned to commemorate the Revolution. It shows a lot of the military commanders that defended France, chief among them of course being Napoleon Bonaparte. But you’ll also find Louis-Philippe himself, who fought in some of these battles.

A little bit of propaganda, maybe? Positioning himself as heir to the greatest French general of them all? I’d say it’s possible…

The name of the room comes from two battles commemorated in large paintings at either end: Valmy (20 September, the first major victory of the Revolutionary army) and Jemmapes (6 November, another morale-boosting victory).