Buonaparte ordering five hundred and eighty of his wounded soldiers to be poisoned at Jaffa

This image illustrates Napoleon's reported order to poison French troops stricken by the plague during the Egyptian campaign. In the foreground of the image, Napoleon, resplendent in his military uniform, directs a shabbily dressed doctor to administer poison to the ailing soldiers piled in the background. The doctor stares at Napoleon and questions the order with an expression that registers horror and confusion. These two figures are separated from the soldiers by a large curtain that crosses the upper right of the image and the lower left. This image illustrates Napoleon's reported order to poison French troops stricken by the plague during the Egyptian campaign. In the foreground of the image, Napoleon, resplendent in his military uniform, directs a shabbily dressed doctor to administer poison to the ailing soldiers piled in the background. The doctor stares at Napoleon and questions the order with an expression that registers horror and confusion. These two figures are separated from the soldiers by a large curtain that crosses the upper right of the image and the lower left. Inscription: From a Design by Mr. R. K. Porter Annotation: J Asperne (?) Cornhill Annotation: Augt. 12th...1803 Annotation: Hatchard. Piccadilly