The Execution of Maximilian

The young Austrian-born Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph was controversially installed as Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico in 1864 in an attempt to create a European-style monarchy there, backed by Napoleon III of France and a cohort of monarchists. Seen as part of a European imperialist campaign, Maximilian’s rule was considered illegitimate by those who opposed the French occupation of Mexico. This work interprets the young ruler’s execution in Querétero, Mexico, on June 19, 1867, alongside generals Miguel Miramón (left) and Tomás Mejía (right). Édouard Manet’s composition was inspired by not only history painting and the iconography of Francisco de Goya but also contemporary journalism and the budding field of newspaper photography. One controversial aspect of this print is the presence of French troops in the firing squad rather than those of the Mexican Republic. The lithograph was censored by the French government and was not publicly printed until after Manet’s death.