The Reason Why Napoleon Always Hid His Hand

First Appearance

One of the first appearances of the “hand-in-waistcoat” pose was in a self-portrait by the famous English artist Godfrey Kneller.

25 years later, Jonathan Richardson – a theorist and painter – put his own spin on the famous pose. Richardson painted a portrait of the future politician, Horace Walpole, who adopted the bizarre stance.