Portrait of Hortense de Beauharnais, Queen of Holland

Hortense was Napoleon’s stepdaughter. Through her marriage to Napoleon’s brother, Louis Napoleon, she became Queen of Holland in 1806. Their marriage was not a success, and Hortense found Holland a cold and gloomy place. She preferred to live with her sons at Napoleon’s court in Paris, where she had her portrait painted by Girodet, the leading artist of the day.