Life — May 19, 1927 — page 22: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon depicts a formal dining scene in an ornate imperial palace. The caption indicates it's dated A.D. 1814 and references "The Imperial Chef Forgets to Include Napoleon." The scene shows well-dressed figures at a grand table in an elaborate rococo room. The joke appears to be a political commentary on Napoleon's situation in 1814—the year of his first abdication and exile to Elba. By depicting Napoleon being "forgotten" or excluded from an imperial dinner, the cartoon satirizes his sudden fall from power and removal from the imperial court after his military defeats by European coalitions. The ornate setting emphasizes the grandeur he's lost.