PARIS - Napoleon's classic stance, with hand inside his coat, was not his own idea. In 1966, Wisconsin newspaper The Oshkosh Northwestern published a story about the person who was said to have inspired his stance: (Photo by Leemage/Corbis via Getty Images) Inspiration Detail of the Painting by Merry Joseph Blondel (1781-1853) 1834. The Emperor Napoleon I (1769-1821) refusing the plans of the architects Beaumont and Fountain in the staircase of the Palais Royal on July 5, 1807. According to the paintings we reviewed, Napoleon tended to hide his right hand. We found conflicting articles that said he hid his left hand or his right hand.

It is said that all well-dressed men of the day kept the left hand hidden, and wore only one glove on the right hand. He was simply following the fashion of the times. Napoleon didn't hide his hand in his waistcoat because he was off his rocker. What did he do with his left glove? Historians tell us he didn't wear one! He is said to have loved and owned 240 pairs of off-white and beige gloves. Napoleon, whose left hand became famous for its constant position in his waistcoat, also recognized the value of a well-gloved appearance. In 1963, The Huntsville Times in Alabama reported that the reason Napoleon chose to hide one of his hands in his coat was that he 'was simply following the fashion of the times': (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images) Fashion Napoleon I in his study in 1807, from 1837.

Napoleon painting