In July 1830, the capture of Algiers paved the way for the French conquest of new territories. The French Army of Africa embarked on successive expeditions, facing resistance led by Emir Abd el-Kader. As a military leader, Abd el-Kader united the populations of the West and managed to negotiate two peace treaties, including the Treaty of Tafna in May 1837. However, the truce was short-lived. In 1841, General Bugeaud was appointed Governor-General of Algeria and tasked with quelling the Emir’s rebellion using 100,000 men.
Seeing his strongholds systematically destroyed, Abd el-Kader devised a nomadic capital known as the “Smala.” This mobile city, essential for survival and resistance, housed between 50,000 and 70,000 people, including civilians, soldiers, artisans, slaves, servants, and the Emir’s family. The Smala was a hub of human and material resources crucial for sustaining the resistance.
On May 16, 1843, Duke d’Aumale, son of King Louis-Philippe, discovered the Smala’s location through Ahmed Ben Ferhat, one of his emissaries. With Abd el-Kader and most of his troops 200 kilometers away, a squadron of 500 cavalrymen raided the camp. In less than two hours, they captured 6,000 prisoners and plundered or destroyed all possessions. This event, despite being of little military significance due to the Emir’s absence, dealt a severe blow to the Algerian resistance.
To commemorate this victory and serve the grandeur of the French monarchy, Louis-Philippe commissioned a monumental painting from Horace Vernet. A passionate official painter of Algeria, Vernet had spent long missions there to study, draw, and document the conquests of the Army of Africa. His work, measuring 5 meters in height and 21 meters in width, became the largest painting in the world, surpassing all previous historical and battle paintings. The immense scale amplified the setting’s vastness: a sprawling desert plateau under a wide blue sky.
Geographically, Vernet’s painting is detailed and accurate, set in Tajine on the high plateaus 200 kilometers southwest of Algiers. The painting includes topographical features like the arid mountains, the ruins of a Turkish fort, and a river in the valley. Depicting more than a hundred characters with dramatic intensity, the painting captures the simultaneous human tragedies within the Smala.
Vernet portrayed a romanticized “Africa,” filled with stereotypes and orientalism reflective of the racialist attitudes of the time, justifying the so-called “civilizing” interventions. Among the fleeing crowd, a nude Black woman with a primitive appearance stands out. Other notable figures include Mohamed-Bel-Kharroubi’s family, Abd el-Kader’s first secretary and lieutenant; a caricatured Jewish man escaping with his belongings; the formidable fighter Sidi Embarak, commander of the Smala; and Sidi Laradj, the venerated marabout reciting the Quran, to whom Abd el-Kader owed his title of Emir.
Vernet’s painting, however, primarily fulfilled the martial vision demanded by the commission. Military portraits prominently feature Duke d’Aumale, depicted as the army leader on his white horse, accompanied by commanders and officers like Jamin, Beaufort, Durrieu, Chambert, Hitzmann, Lemoine, Morris, Dupin, Lichtlin, and d’Épinay.
The painting’s construction reveals itself at a distance, with action concentrated in the lower half and divided horizontally and vertically to separate French soldiers on the left from Algerians on the right. The French troops form a triangular formation, suggesting clear, effective, and orderly progression. The movement of the French garrison reads from left to right, aligning with the wind, emphasized by dust clouds and the insurgents’ flag. In contrast, the Smala’s inhabitants are depicted in chaos and disorder, yet their groups form concentric circles, mirroring the Smala’s circular layout.
Despite the detailed scene, the painting downplays the actual pillaging and plundering that stripped the Smala of all valuable resources: precious items, tools, weapons, unique books, livestock, and crops. The French army even took the Emir’s tent as a trophy, in his absence during the surprise attack.
The monumental painting served as a powerful piece of propaganda for Louis-Philippe, whose reign was increasingly contested. By glorifying Duke d’Aumale’s courage, the king sought to showcase his and his sons’ contributions to France’s greatness. Vernet’s heroic and romantic depiction minimized the inglorious nature of capturing a largely undefended Smala. Had Abd el-Kader’s entire army been present, the battle’s outcome might have been different.
Unveiled at the Salon of 1845, the painting was a popular success but faced critical backlash, notably from Baudelaire, who criticized its coldness and lack of genuine artistry. In response, Théophile Gautier defended Vernet, praising his vivid and accurate depiction of the Army of Africa’s exploits. Meanwhile, Eugène Delacroix’s “The Sultan of Morocco, Moulay Abderrahmane,” lauded by critics, faced Vernet’s “Capture of the Smala” at the Louvre’s Salon Carrée in 1846. Baudelaire continued his critique, condemning Vernet’s improvised, rapid-fire style, predicting its popularity would wane with time and shifting public interests.
