Chickens Dressed Like Napoleon, Einstein and Other Historical Figures
They came, they clucked and they conquered. Get the story behind these absurd portraits and how they came to be
- By Megan Gambino
- Smithsonian.com, May 18, 2012
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(Timothy Archibald)
Napoleon
What was key, according to both stylist and photographer, was experimenting with the birds’ body language. Every angle and subtle movement of a chicken’s wings or legs could convey a different personality and, ultimately, help sell the character.
Since paintings of Napoleon often show him with his hand tucked into his waistcoat, a formal stance in 18th- and 19th-century portraiture, Amos positioned the wing of a chicken in Napoleon garb the same way. “With Julius Caesar, we wanted it to look noble and regal,” says Archibald. “With Jackie O, we wanted it to look like a paparazzi photo taken as someone drove past her on the street corner.”
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Comments (9)
to the vegans. how can you really know these chickens didn't die from natural causes?
Posted by asfsd on August 21,2012 | 01:42 AM
I guess I don't get the comedy - or the relevance. These figures have nothing (so far as I know) to do with the history of chicken consumption. This is just in poor taste - more Daily News than Smithsonian. If you need more support, produce valuable content, not clickbait.
Posted by Ben on July 6,2012 | 04:17 PM
To the humorless vegan and Mr. I'm-ashamed-of-you: This trivial article comes under the category of "playing with your food" not "mutilation of the honored dead". Find something important to complain about. Sheesh.
Posted by Jeff Grossman on June 26,2012 | 12:10 PM
I love Smithsonian magazine- I grew up with it!- but have to tell you how shockingly offensive is this series of photographs. Would you make fun and amuse yourself with skinned wolf carcus or a racoon body? Would you do it with a dead plucked heron or a dead frog? No, because it offends our basic sense of respecting dead bodies of any species, by not making fun of them. So why do you think its OK to amuse yourself with a dead chicken body? For the first time, I'm ashamed of you, Smithsonian.
Posted by Helia on June 14,2012 | 09:29 PM
This is fabulous! Bravo for your ingenuity and creativity. Its good to know the Smithsonian hasn't completely succumbed to the PC whiners.
Posted by Coronel Sanders on June 7,2012 | 01:44 PM
This isn't really clever. It's downright tasteless and an insult to any vegan or animal advocate who reads your magazine. I recall that in the not so distant past, Smithsonian was simply boring. Now it's decided to become downright offensive.
Posted by george shea on June 2,2012 | 12:21 PM
sigh...I clicked on the headline because I thought they were going to be LIVE chickens!
Posted by Carolyn on May 24,2012 | 05:21 PM
Dare we call these photos "shutter clickin' good"? LOL!
Posted by Odyssey8 on May 22,2012 | 02:03 PM
Very interesting approach to animals and theatricality. Is there a Smithsonian cookbook in the works? SS
Posted by sondra on May 22,2012 | 01:10 PM