Jean Louis André Théodore Géricault
The Passage of Mount Saint Bernard
1822
Lithograph in black on ivory wove paper
35.9 × 41.7 cm (14.1 × 16.4 in)
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Not currently on view
In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026
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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG
In this lithograph, Théodore Géricault depicted Napoleon Bonaparte as a young general leading French troops through the Alps via the treacherous Great Saint Bernard Pass. Napoleon had to bring his men, supplies, and weapons (all detailed here) through the mountains in order to cross into Northern Italy and fight the enemy Austrian army. The resulting French victory helped establish Napoleon as a popular military hero, which eventually enabled his ascent to emperor in 1804.
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