Reflections on the project

Our student historians developed a wide range of skills by taking part in this project. They also developed new interests and learned a huge amount about local and European history in the 19th century. Students were asked to reflect on the project and the skills and academic interests they developed.

Learning about Eugénie, local history and wider European history

Students were able to draw out connections across different time periods and places, and develop a good understanding of a range of different historical topics relating to Eugénie . Some of these are also relevant to our A Level content e.g. the Italian Wars of Unification. Students enjoyed learning about:

• "Empress Eugénie's relationship with her subjects, particularly her relationship with the younger generations. It shows how involved she was with the people around her, no matter their social status. This demonstrates how determined Eugénie was to help people in the Empire, to use her influence positively." (Cara)

• "It was very interesting to see how both the British people and aristocracy viewed his rule over France, especially in contrast to Napoleon I, who was an especially hated figure at the time." (Benjamin)

• "The most interest thing I learnt taking part in the project was about Eugénie's connection to Alsace-Lorraine from both the Franco-Prussian war and post WW1." (Sophie)

• "Eugénie was a remarkable woman especially for her time. She acted as a regent and had a political impact in a time where women didn’t have much power" (Amna)

• "I enjoyed learning about Eugénie and her relationship with her faith because it was such a symbolic thing to her" (Abi)

• "Eugénie's wedding dress and it's similarity to Josephine's on her wedding day." (Eva)

• "The Battle of Solferino and how that was the real turning point with the fight for Italian Unification because of the immense French intervention." (Ava)

Using portraits as a primary source:

Students build on skills they initially developed during a workshop at the National Portrait Gallery in January 2025 where we learned how to use portraits as a historical source:

• "I learnt a lot about how to closely analyse portraits to navigate relationships, status, important details about the people or objects around. Portraits are important to pick up details that might not have been captured in text as the author chooses what details to select - a portrait reveals the full picture, quite literally" (Eva)

• "The structural features involved in art and placements impact on a pieces importance." (Victor)

• "I analysed the portraits in detail which helped me look into all the details of portraits which are sometimes missed and so it has helped me understand the importance of using the skill of analysing in detail" (Abi)

• "Thinking about the physical aspects of sources like material, techniques and colours" (Oriana)

• "Portraits often reflect the values, ideals, and ideologies of a society. It shows us how people want to be portrayed, which can also give insight into the roles people assign themselves and how they want to be seen by the wider public [...] The project helped me make links between the portraits, especially  the symbolism, and my knowledge of the historical context and background. It was very interesting to consider how and why art is used to craft narratives." (Benjamin)

• "How the small details can have bigger meanings,especially in regards to jewelry or clothing that the individual is wearing. The more practice with primary sources, the easier it is to be able to spot details that are important and then developing them to be able to write about them." (Cara)

• The project "helped me understand what to look for specifically in portraits, like colour, fashion, lighting, composition. I already had experience in analysing portraits for art, but I hadn't properly adapted those skills for historical research, so this project was really beneficial in that aspect." (Sophie M)

Research skills:

In addition to primary source analysis skills, students developed skills that will be useful to them in future projects like EPQs and also at university/in the workplace. Students identified developing the following skills during the project:

• "Using lots of different websites/sources to piece together the meaning/context of the portrait" (Niamh)

• "Looking for secondary sources online and in galleries archives particularly, and learning how to reference them". (Ava)

• "I visited St Michael's Abbey so carried out some practical research and listened to the monk, independent research as well" (Abi)

• "Independent research, critical thinking, reading comprehension and analytical skills" (Amna)

• "Independent research skills using a variety of sources and facts both online and from books from a local library." (Sophie)

• "Note taking, including taking down the most important parts." (Matthew)

Taking these skills and interests further:

The project focused on just one key figure - Eugénie, Empress of the French - but the nature of her life and legacy allowed students to develop an academic interest in a range of topics. The skills identified above can help students going forward in several ways, and many of them have reflected on what their next steps will be:

• "I would like to do an EPQ most likely relating to literature, however the research and analytical skills of portraits will be very useful to gain a deeper insight and have a wider variety of research sources to call from." (Eva)

• "I might use this to help get into a course on art history with the intention of going on to a career utilizing these skills." (Victor)

• "I am considering doing a EPQ something around Modern European History and now I am thinking about using portraits and visual resources to aid this" (Abi)

• "The project has given me a greater interest in local history and the way history impacts us directly so I will do further reading related to other local history and more about world events during Eugénie's life as most of my focus was towards the end during WW1." (Sophie)

• "I would like to learn more about the 1848 Revolution and Napoleon’s reign, so I’d like to go read further into these topics." (Benjamin)