Prise du fort Saint-Jean-d'Ulloa, 27 novembre 1838

This painting by Horace Vernet, titled “Capture of Fort San Juan de Ulúa, 27 November 1838,” depicts an episode from the French expedition to Mexico in 1838. The composition shows French sailors and officers on the deck of a ship, watching the explosion of a tower of the fort of San Juan de Ulúa, while other vessels appear in the harbor in the background. The image emphasizes naval power, the staging of command, and the spectacular nature of the attack. Painted in 1841, this oil on canvas, now in the Palace of Versailles, belongs to nineteenth-century military and maritime history painting. It highlights the Prince of Joinville on the poop deck of the corvette Créole, receiving Lieutenant Penaud’s report at the moment of the fort’s explosion.