One of the most famous portraits of Napoleon, completed in 1812, features him striking a rather odd pose. He’s slouching in a formal uniform while standing in his study, but it’s the placement of his right hand that strikes some viewers as unique.

His hand is tucked into his uniform. Not in a pocket, per se, but right through the buttons, which have been opened to accommodate all five fingers. It looks a little like he’s getting ready to pull out a pocket watch or a pistol. It’s not a pose you would see commonly these days, that’s for sure.

The more you look at it, the stranger it becomes. What’s especially interesting is that this wasn’t the first or only time Emperor Napoleon posed like this; it was something of his signature look.

Here’s another portrait from when he was younger. The hand placement is the same.

Napoleon didn’t invent this pose

The “hand-in-waistcoat” pose wasn’t even Napoleon’s invention. It was extremely popular at the time, especially in portraits of royalty and noblemen.

Some of the most famous portraits........

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