Wilhelm Camphausen, Napoleon III on the Battlefield at Sedan (1877)

Wilhelm Camphausen (1818–1885), a painter of military and battle scenes, participated in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71 as an army painter. The history painting shown here brought art and war together and presented history as the success or defeat of “great men.” Depictions of Napoleon III as a defeated opponent on the battlefield of Sedan served as counterpoints to portrayals of Bismarck and Helmuth von Moltke (the Elder) as brilliant battlefield leaders who forged the German nation through war. “Sedan” thus became a shorthand to celebrate the “origin” of the German nation from war.