The title says it all: “Dear Napoleon, I Know you're dead, but…”

標題說的很清楚："親愛的拿破崙，我知道你已經死了，但是......"

It's about a kid who writes letters to Napoleon Bonaparte, who is, of course, dead.

這是關於一個給拿破崙-波拿巴寫信的孩子，當然，他已經死了。

The cover design is classic '90s chapter book, and shows something the main character

封面設計是經典的90年代的章回體書，展現了主角的一些東西。

is obsessed with. This weird thing Napoleon seemed to always do:

痴迷於：這種奇怪的事情拿破崙似乎總是在做。

Pose with one hand in his coat.

擺出一隻手放在外套裡的姿勢。

I don't know why but that part of the book always stuck with me.

不知道為什麼，書中的那部分內容總是讓我記憶猶新。

And I honestly thought everyone pictured Napoleon this way.

說實話，我還以為大家都是這樣想象拿破崙的。

Until I asked my coworkers about it.

直到我問了我的同事。

COLEMAN: If I were to ask you to strike a pose like Napoleon Bonaparte, what would you do?

如果我讓你擺出拿破崙-波拿巴那樣的姿勢，你會怎麼做？

DION: Um….

DION：一....

DION: Like… a pole?

就像...一根柱子?

COLEMAN: Really? DION: Is this wrong?

真的嗎這不對嗎？

Almost everyone I asked did a sort of variation of a typical hero pose, which makes sense.

我問的幾乎每個人都做了一種典型英雄姿勢的變體，這很有道理。

But once you see the shirt thing, you can't unsee it.

但是一旦你看到襯衫的事情，你就無法解開它。

CHRISTINA: Oh wow, okay.

哦，哇，好的。

MAC: Ooh. That's a lot more sultry than I knew Napoleon to be.

MAC。哦這比我想象中的拿破崙要悶騷多了。

COLEMAN: Yeah what stands out to you about that?

COLEMAN：是啊，你覺得有什麼突出的地方？

MADDIE: I mean definitely like his hand.

我是說絕對喜歡他的手。

RANJANI: Why is his hand in his shirt?

RANJANI：為什麼他的手在衣服裡？

JOE: What! Yeah –

什麼！

Napoleon Bonaparte is one of history's most famous figures.

拿破崙-波拿巴是歷史上最著名的人物之一。

His many successful military campaigns in the early 1800s expanded the size and influence

他在19世紀初的許多成功的軍事行動擴大了規模和影響。

of what's known as the “First French Empire.”

被稱為 "法蘭西第一帝國 "的。

Over which he ruled, as Emperor.

他以皇帝的身份統治著它。

Napoleon is remembered as both an influential military commander, and a ruthless, power-hungry

拿破崙在人們的印象中，既是一個有影響力的軍事指揮官，也是一個冷酷無情、貪戀權力的人。

tyrant.

暴君。

He was depicted in dozens of portraits and painted scenes throughout his life, and well

他一生中被描繪了幾十幅肖像畫和畫景，以及好

beyond his death.

在他死後。

And an overwhelming number of them look just like that book cover:

而絕大多數的人都和那本書的封面一樣。

Napoleon standing with his right hand concealed inside his coat.

拿破崙站著，右手藏在大衣裡。

The more you look at it, the weirder it is.

越看越覺得奇怪。

Why?

為什麼？

Why?

為什麼？

It kind of seems like no matter what Napoleon was up to –

好像不管拿破崙要做什麼

Gazing at Charlemagne's throne.

凝視著查理曼的寶座。

Rejecting people's ideas.

拒絕人們的想法。

Crossing the Alps.

越過阿爾卑斯山。

Riding on a boat.

騎在船上。

Retreating from Russia.

從俄羅斯撤退。

Or just hanging at home.

或者只是在家裡閒逛。

That hand was just always jammed right in there.

那隻手總是卡在那裡。

And I really thought everyone I asked to do a Napoleon impression would immediately do

我真的認為每個人我問 做一個拿破崙的印象會立即做。

the hand thing.

手的事情。

JOE (laughing): Who would know that?

JOE（笑）：誰會知道呢？

Well, actually a few people did.

嗯，其實有幾個人是這樣做的。

SAM: Isn't he like this and he's got his hand in his jacket or something?

他是不是像這樣把手伸進外套裡什麼的？

The gesture has appeared in caricatures of Napoleon.

這個手勢曾出現在拿破崙的漫畫中。

And actors portraying him over the years.

而這些年來塑造他的演員。

Watch for it in this bowling scene from “Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure.”

在 "比爾和泰德的絕妙冒險 "的保齡球場景中，請注意。

See?

看到了嗎？

[Screaming in French]

[法語尖叫]

People have speculated that Napoleon's hidden hand may have been deformed.

人們紛紛猜測，拿破崙的藏手可能已經變形了。

Or that he was relieving chronic stomach pain caused by cancer.

或者說他是在緩解癌症引起的慢性胃痛。

And, he did eventually die of stomach cancer.

而且，他最終確實死於胃癌。

But the real reason Napoleon was always painted like this had nothing to do with organ pain

但拿破崙總是被畫成這樣的真正原因，與機關畫無關

or a deformity.

或畸形。

And everything to do with his public image.

而一切都與他的公眾形象有關。

Well it wouldn't be a Vox video if we didn't roll the clock back.

好吧，如果我們不把時間倒流，那就不是Vox視頻了。

Concealing a hand in one's coat was a portraiture cliché long before Napoleon was painted that

在拿破崙被畫成那樣之前，把手藏在大衣裡就已經是肖像畫的老生常談了。

way in the early 1800s.

方式在19世紀初。

This is George Washington doing it in 1776.

這是喬治-華盛頓在1776年做的。

And Mozart over a decade before that.

而莫扎特在這之前的十幾年。

This painting of Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizzaro is from 1540.

這幅西班牙征服者弗朗西斯科-皮扎羅的畫作是1540年的。

The pose's documented roots go all the way back to Ancient Greece.

這個姿勢的記載根源可以追溯到古希臘。

Where famed orator Aeschines claimed that restricting the movement of one hand was the

其中著名的演說家艾斯琴斯聲稱限制一隻手的活動是為了達到 "不受限制 "的目的。

proper way to speak in public.

當眾說話的正確方式。

As opposed to the more animated gesturing of his rival, Demosthenes,

相對於他的對手德摩斯梯尼更活躍的姿態。

which was apparently unbecoming.

這顯然是不合適的。

That association of restraint as a sign of respectability stuck.

那種把剋制作為受人尊敬的標誌的聯想，堅持了下來。

Except the tunics became jackets.

除了外衣變成了夾克。

This 1737 British etiquette guide, “The Rudiments of Genteel Behavior,” declared

這份1737年的英國禮儀指南《彬彬有禮的行為規範》宣稱

that keeping a hand in one's coat was key to posturing oneself with “manly boldness,”

手插在大衣裡是擺出 "男子漢大丈夫 "姿態的關鍵。

“tempered with becoming modesty.”

"變得謙虛起來"

The gesture became a stock pose in portraits painted in the mid-1700s.

這個手勢成為17世紀中葉畫像中的股票姿勢。

Like, it was everywhere.

就像，它是無處不在。

It was a popular choice for men — and, less frequently, women — who wanted to visually

它是男性的流行選擇--女性則較少--他們希望在視覺上得到滿足。

align themselves with nobility.

與貴族結盟。

And for less-talented portrait artists, since hands are hard to paint.

而對於天賦較差的人像畫家來說，因為手很難畫。

And, unsurprisingly, as the pose became more and more common in paintings, it's reputation

不出所料，隨著這個姿勢在繪畫中越來越常見，它的名氣也越來越大。

cheapened.

廉價的。

That is until one of the most powerful people in the world...

直到世界上最有權勢的人之一... That is until one of the most powerful people in the world...

...made it his trademark.

...成為他的商標。

Napoleon was famous for many things, namely his innovative and successful strategies in

拿破崙在很多方面都很有名，即他在創新和成功的策略方面。

warfare.

戰。

He was obsessed with gaining power at all costs, and won battle after battle in what

他執著於不惜一切代價獲取權力，並贏得了一場又一場的戰爭，在什麼？

are now called the Napoleonic Wars, briefly establishing French domination in Europe.

現在被稱為拿破崙戰爭，短暫地確立了法國在歐洲的統治地位。

All while fostering a grandiose image, like organizing an elaborate coronation ceremony

同時培養一個宏偉的形象，比如組織一個精心的加冕儀式

for himself in 1804, immortalized in this state-sanctioned painting of the event.

在1804年為自己畫了一幅畫，在這幅國家準許的畫作中永垂不朽。

But outside of France, he was a popular figure for caricature.

但在法國以外的地方，他是漫畫的熱門人物。

And was repeatedly portrayed as a small man with a hot head.

並被反覆刻畫成一個頭腦發熱的小人物。

Like in this 1803 British political cartoon, “Maniac ravings, or Little Boney in a strong

就像這幅1803年的英國政治漫畫中，"狂人囈語，或小波尼在強烈的

fit.”

合。"

Which is why this famous portrait of Napoleon in his study is significant.

所以這幅著名的拿破崙書房畫像意義重大。

It was done in 1812 by his official painter, Jacques-Louis David.

這是1812年由他的官方畫家雅克-路易-大衛完成的。

Who also made some of the period's most recognized paintings.

誰也做了一些這一時期最知名的畫作。

It's a departure from many previous depictions of the conqueror.

這與以往許多征服者的描寫不同。

Including some by David himself.

包括大衛本人的一些。

And represents an effective example of propaganda.

並代表了一個有效的宣傳範例。

There are key details here that tell a story of a modest, hardworking leader.

這裡有一些關鍵細節，講述了一個謙虛、勤奮的上司的故事。

The candles are burned all the way down.

蠟燭全部燒完了。

And the clock shows that it's almost 4:15 in the morning.

而時鐘顯示，現在已經快凌晨4點15分了。

Napoleon stands from his desk, having worked all night completing his signature legislation:

拿破崙從辦公桌上站起來，他已經工作了一夜，完成了他的簽名立法。

The Napoleonic Code.

《拿破崙法典》。

This map on the floor and Napoleon's sword at the ready are reminders of his successes

地上的這張地圖和拿破崙準備好的劍，都是他成功的提醒。

on the battlefield.

在戰場上。

But it's the restrained pose, with the centuries of context surrounding it, that stands out.

但就是這樣一個剋制的姿勢，加上週圍百年的背景，才顯得與眾不同。

Crowds of people apparently came to see the painting in 1812, and David himself wrote

1812年，顯然有很多人來看過這幅畫，大衛自己也寫道

that the portrait's popularity was due to

這幅畫像的流行是由於

A stark contrast to other contemporary images of the ruler.

與當代其他統治者的形象形成了鮮明的對比。

Napoleon didn't actually pose for this portrait, but he is quoted to have said upon seeing it:

拿破崙其實並沒有為這幅畫像擺過造型，但據說他看到這幅畫像後說：。

This gesture of modesty and steady leadership became a common way to depict Napoleon.

這種謙虛穩重的上司姿態，成為描繪拿破崙的常用方式。

And stuck with him well beyond his death in 1821.

並在他1821年去世後一直陪伴著他。

But the pose's legacy didn't end with Napoleon.

但這個姿勢的傳承並沒有隨著拿破崙而結束。

The well-established portrait cliché was also a trend in early portrait photography.

完善的人像老套也是早期人像攝影的一種趨勢。

With notable sitters like Karl Marx and even the celebrated inventor of photography himself,

有卡爾-馬克思這樣的著名坐館，甚至還有著名的攝影發明者本人。

Louis Daguerre, adopting the gesture.

路易-達蓋爾，採用了這個手勢。

It was also a common appearance in portraits of soldiers fighting in the American Civil War.

這也是美國內戰中阿兵哥戰鬥的畫像中常見的出現。

Concealing a hand gave the subject a distinguished look, and helped keep them in sharp focus

遮住一隻手，使被攝對象看起來更有特色，並有助於保持他們的清晰焦點。

during the long exposure times of early photography, which often rendered blurred hands.

在早期攝影的長時間曝光過程中，往往會出現手部模糊的情況。

COLEMAN: Is this familiar at all to you?

科萊曼：你對這個很熟悉嗎？

LAURA: I mean, sort of. That's actually not what I imagined him looking like.

我的意思是，有點。這其實不是我想象中的他的樣子。

JOE: That's what Napoleon looked like?

這就是拿破崙的樣子？

SAM: If you showed me that I wouldn't guess it was Napoleon, probably because he doesn't

如果你給我看，我不會猜到是拿破崙，可能因為他不知道是拿破崙。

have the hat on.

有帽子上。

It's probably pretty telling that almost everyone I asked to do an impression of Napoleon

這也許很能說明問題，幾乎每個人我都要求做一個拿破崙的印象。

adopted poses based around Napoleon's supposedly short stature and his vanity.

圍繞拿破崙所謂的矮小身材和他的虛榮心，採用了一些姿勢。

MAC: This is my pose.

MAC。這是我的姿勢。

COLEMAN: Okay.

好吧，我知道了

MAC: Napoleon. Tiny man, proud chest.

MAC:拿破崙小小的人，傲人的胸膛。

And didn't recognize David's depiction of Napoleon.

並沒有認出大衛對拿破崙的描寫。

Or this arguably more important one — at least in my mind.

或者這個可以說是更重要的--至少在我看來。

This is a photo of Charlie Chaplin dressed as Napoleon, and it features not one, but two portraiture cliches.

這是一張查理-卓別林裝扮成拿破崙的照片，它的特點不是一個，而是兩個肖像畫的老套。

The hand-in-waistcoat gesture, and this wicker chair.

手插腰間的手勢，還有這把柳條椅。

It's called the peacock chair, and, like the hand gesture, it shows up in tons of photos.

這叫孔雀椅，和手勢一樣，它出現在大量的照片中。

There's a whole history of how it became so popular.

它是如何變得如此流行的，有一個完整的歷史。

And lucky for you, Estelle already made a video about it.

你很幸運，Estelle已經做了一個視頻。