The Passage of Mount Saint Bernard

In this lithograph, Théodore Géricault depicted Napoleon Bonaparte as a young general leading French troops through the Alps via the treacherous Great Saint Bernard Pass. Napoleon had to bring his men, supplies, and weapons (all detailed here) through the mountains in order to cross into Northern Italy and fight the enemy Austrian army. The resulting French victory helped establish Napoleon as a popular military hero, which eventually enabled his ascent to emperor in 1804.