Napoleon VR Experience

Vestigia 2024
Paris, France

Historians: Arthur Chevallier, Raphaël Doan, and Baptiste Roger-Lacan

These digital costume designs are for a virtual reality experience that immerses audiences in events around Napoleon Bonaparte's rise to power. Initiated by historians in association with the Fondation Napoléon, the goal of this project was to create interactive digital narratives with a high standard of historical accuracy.

As the costume designer, I designed 9 characters and sketched them by hand in Procreate. I then created a set of 232 historically accurate digital garments that can be assembled in multiple outfit combinations. I patterned and simulated each digital garment in CLO, retopologized them in Marvelous Designer, textured them in Blender or Substance Painter, and rendered them in Blender. The file containing these optimized digital garments will be released as an open source tool for creating additional digital narratives in French history.

Josephine Boneparte

Sketch & Research

Research for this design began with a dive into an art historian's documentation of Joséphine as a political fashion icon (Higonnet, 2020). As this scene is set in 1794-1799, I imagined what Joséphine would have chosen for herself to wear before her rise to the public eye and before Napoleon began to dictate Joséphine's dress for his own political agenda.

3D Model (Render View)

3D Model (Wireframe View)

Joseph Boneparte

Sketch & Research

As Napoleon's older brother, I designed Joseph in a more mature and conservative color palette. I researched the transitioning mens styles during the French Revolution to make a specific political statement on Joseph's alignment with Napoleon under the new regime.

3D Model (Render View)

3D Model (Wireframe View)

Caroline Boneparte

Sketch & Research

Caroline was in her mid-teens at the onset of her brother's rise to power. I designed her in a more youthful and demure look that still demonstrates her status as Napoleon's sister during his rise to power.

3D Model (Render View)

3D Model (Wireframe View)

Joachim Murat

Sketch & Research

In the early days of Napoleon's power, Murat served as a Chasseurs à Cheval de la Garde. I worked with historians and referenced extant diagrams of late 18th century military uniforms to ensure his costume’s authenticity.

3D Model (Render View)

3D Model (Wireframe View)

Image Sources

The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (ca. 1785). Fichu. French. Cotton. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/119020?&imgno=1&tabname=related-objects [Accessed 11 February 2025].
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (19th century). Shawl. Indian. Wool. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/81023 [Accessed 11 February 2025].
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (1846). Stockings. French. Silk. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/120970 [Accessed 11 February 2025].
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (1800–1810). Shoes. French. Silk, leather, linen. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/662693 [Accessed 11 February 2025].
Musée des Tissus et des Arts Décoratifs de Lyon. (ca. 1795-99). Dress.
Isabey, J.-B. (c. 1810–1814). The Empress Joséphine. Miniature; watercolor on paper, 13.5 × 9.4 cm. The Wallace Collection, London. M216. UK/Bridgeman Images. Found on p. 179 in Higonnet, A. (2020). Liberty Equality Fashion: The Women Who Styled the French Revolution.
Plate 024. (c. 25 février 1798). Journal des Dames et des Modes, Costume Parisien, (24). Available at: https://stylerevolution.github.io/plates/024/ [Accessed 11 February 2025].
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. ( 1800–1850). Stock. European. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/87525 (Accessed: 13 February 2025).
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (ca. 1780). Shirt. French. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/159171 (Accessed: 13 February 2025).
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (fourth quarter 18th century). Suit. European. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/91878 (Accessed: 13 February 2025).
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (1787–92). Coat. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/82457 (Accessed: 13 February 2025).
Mood Fabrics (n.d.) Brown Ribbed Velvet. Available at: https://www.moodfabrics.com/brown-ribbed-velvet-305715 (Accessed: 13 February 2025).
V&A Museum. (1790-1800). Breeches. Available at: https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O75637/breeches-unknown/ (Accessed: 13 February 2025).
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (19th century). Stockings. French. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/105043 (Accessed: 13 February 2025).
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (1780–99). Shoes: British. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/87525 (Accessed: 13 February 2025).
Goubaud, I.-L. (1832) Portrait de Joseph Bonaparte, roi d'Espagne, comte de Survilliers. Available at: https://art.rmngp.fr/en/library/artworks/innocent-louis-goubaud_portrait-de-joseph-bonaparte-roi-d-espagne-comte-de-survilliers_huile-sur-toile (Accessed: 13 February 2025).
V&A Museum (1800-1810). Coat. Place of origin: France, Italy. Available at: https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O15599/coat-unknown/ (Accessed: 13 February 2025).
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (ca. 1793). Fichu. French. Cotton. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/170109?rpp=30&pg=10&rndkey=20151002&ft=%2A&deptids=62&when=A.D.+1600-1800&pos=271 [Accessed 11 February 2025].
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (19th century). Stockings. French. Silk. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/105043 [Accessed 11 February 2025].
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (1780–90). Shoes. American or European. Cotton. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/112678 [Accessed 11 February 2025].
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (1797–98). Dress. French. Cotton. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/83565 [Accessed 11 February 2025].
Gérard, F. (c. 1808). Profil de Caroline Murat tourné vers la gauche. INV 26717, Recto. Département des Arts graphiques, Musée du Louvre. Available at: https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl020212478 [Accessed 11 February 2025].
Plate 014. (c. 1797). Journal des Dames et des Modes, Costume Parisien, 25 février 1798, (14). Available at: https://stylerevolution.github.io/plates/014/ [Accessed 11 February 2025].
Gérard, F. (1808) Joachim Murat. World History Encyclopedia. Available at: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/17588/joachim-murat/ (Accessed: 15 February 2025).
Musée de l'Armée (1804-1815) Habit de petite tenue de général de division. France. Available at: https://basedescollections.musee-armee.fr/ark:/66008/317.locale=fr (Accessed: 15 February 2025).
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (1809) Waistcoat. French. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/129882 (Accessed: 15 February 2025).
Drapers Italy (n.d.) Gabardine. Available at: https://drapersitaly.it/gb-en/collection/12031/ (Accessed: 15 February 2025).
Victoria and Albert Museum. (1810-1820) Trousers. Available at: https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O116319/trousers-unknown/ (Accessed: 15 February 2025).
Musée de l'Armée (XIXe siècle, 1re moitié) Paire de bottes d'officier de hussards. France. Available at: https://basedescollections.musee-armee.fr/ark:/66008/0608.locale=fr (Accessed: 15 February 2025).
Gros, A.-J. (1810-1835) Bonaparte haranguant l'armée avant la bataille des Pyramides, 21 juillet 1798. Château de Versailles. Available at: https://collections.chateauversailles.fr/?queryid=7985536d-4691-4782-852d-124df6b1e32e#/query/4b1e0199-cdbe-4b5f-8478-b9fa455bd499 (Accessed: 15 February 2025).
Gros, A.-J. (1806) Bataille d'Aboukir, 25 juillet 1799. Château de Versailles. Available at: https://collections.chateauversailles.fr/#/query/2c1dfbfc-666e-4a6c-b6ad-aae1c9df2421 (Accessed: 15 February 2025).

References

Higonnet, P., 2020. Liberty, Equality, Fashion: The Women Who Styled the French Revolution. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.