Historical Face Reading
Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 – 1821): Physiognomy Reading
No figure in modern history attracted more physiognomical commentary than Napoleon Bonaparte. Lavater himself reportedly studied engravings of Napoleon and commented on what the young general's face revealed. Dozens of contemporaries recorded impressions of his features. The face that looked out from his portraits — compact, powerful, deeply concentrated — became one of the defining images of the Choleric temperament in Western physiognomy.
Historical Record
Napoleon's contemporaries described him as short (though this was exaggerated — he stood about 5'7", average for his era), with a disproportionately large head for his body. His face was compact and broad: a wide, prominent forehead; deep-set, steel-grey eyes that multiple observers described as hypnotic; high, pronounced cheekbones; a short, straight nose; and a strong, square jaw. Metternich wrote that his eyes had a peculiarly fixed, penetrating quality — as if they were seeing something behind the person in front of him.
Facial Analysis
The dominant feature is the broad, high forehead — unmistakable in every portrait and death mask. In classical physiognomy, a forehead of this proportion signals exceptional strategic and conceptual capacity, the ability to hold complex systems in mind simultaneously. Napoleon was famous for this: he could dictate seven letters on different subjects to seven secretaries at once. The square jaw and broad cheekbones anchor tremendous lower-face will and persistence — the determination that rebuilt France's legal code, reorganized its armies, and kept the Grande Armée fighting for two decades. His deep-set eyes, which so many observers noted, are associated in face reading with inwardness, intensity, and the capacity to conceal emotion behind a calculating gaze.
Temperament: Choleric-Phlegmatic
The Choleric in Napoleon produced the legendary ambition, speed of decision, and ability to inspire fanatical loyalty. But the Phlegmatic component is visible in his remarkable emotional self-control — his ability to process catastrophe (Waterloo, Elba, the retreat from Moscow) without psychological collapse, and his capacity for sustained, methodical administrative work. The Phlegmatic temperament, when combined with Choleric fire, produces men who can command empires and outlast opposition.
Legacy in Physiognomy
Napoleon was one of the most physiognomically studied figures of the 19th century. Franz Joseph Gall, the founder of phrenology, measured Napoleon's skull and wrote extensively about it. Lavater's methods were applied to every major portrait of Napoleon well into the Victorian era. His face became a reference point in European physiognomy literature for the Choleric-dominant statesman type.
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