How tall was Napoleon? The myth of the tiny emperor is just that — a myth. Napoleon stood about 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm) in modern measurements, which was average or slightly above average for a Frenchman of his era. The confusion stems from the difference between French and English inches: his recorded height of "5 pieds 2 pouces" in French units converts to roughly 5’7” in English. British caricaturists, particularly James Gillray, seized on the low number and ran with it.
We know what Napoleon looked like with unusual precision because he sat for multiple painters and sculptors during his lifetime, and two masks survive: a life mask made by Franz Anton von Zauner in 1805, and the famous Antommarchi death mask from 1821. These give exact facial geometry. Jacques-Louis David painted him from life, as did Antoine-Jean Gros, Robert Lefèvre, and Paul Delaroche (who used the death mask). The face they consistently show is broad and rounded, with a strong jaw, a prominent Roman nose, grey or blue-grey eyes, and dark hair worn in the signature "Napoleon" fringe.
By his final years on Saint Helena, Napoleon had gained considerable weight, and the death mask shows a fuller, heavier face than the lean young general of Italy. Constant, his long-serving valet, left detailed descriptions: clear olive complexion, fine white teeth, chestnut hair that darkened over the years, and hands so well-shaped that he was vain about them.
