He usually hide his hands in his coats

In early 2022, an online advertisement said it would reveal the reason why Napoleon Bonaparte chose to hide his hand in his coat, a pose reader has likely seen in many paintings of him. It read: “Napoleon Concealed His Right Hand Behind His Clothes… This Is Why.” The ad led to a slideshow article that lasted 80 pages. It had two different headlines. One read: “The Strange Reason Napoleon Always Kept His Hand Hidden in Portraits.” The other was similar: “The Surprising Reason Napoleon Kept His Hand Hidden in Portraits.”

We can first dispel the old rumor that his hand was deformed in battle, as History Extra published that there was no evidence to support the theory. So, what was it, then? In our research, we found several reported explanations as to why the famous historical figure chose this particular stance.

In 1963, The Huntsville Times in Alabama reported that the reason Napoleon chose to hide one of his hands in his coat was that he “was simply following the fashion of the times”: Napoleon, whose left hand became famous for its constant position in his waistcoat, also recognized the value of a well gloved appearance. He is said to have loved and owned 240 pairs of off-white and beige gloves. What did he do with his left glove? Historians tell us he didn’t wear one! Napoleon didn’t hide his hand in his waistcoat because he was off his rocker. He was simply following the fashion of the times. It is said that all well-dressed men of the day kept the left hand hidden and wore only one glove on the right hand.