Napoleonic Uniforms – Westphalia Plates by Herbert Knötel is a uniform study and illustration series focused on the military forces of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Westphalia (1807–1813). It forms part of the broader tradition of German military uniform documentation associated with detailed plate illustrations and regimental visual reconstruction.
The work consists primarily of colored or detailed uniform plates, showing officers, NCOs, and enlisted men from Westphalian units during the Napoleonic era. These illustrations typically include infantry, cavalry, artillery, and guard formations, with attention to distinctive features such as coat colors, facings, buttons, headgear, and regimental insignia.
A key focus is the French-influenced military system introduced in Westphalia under Jérôme Bonaparte, Napoleon’s brother, who ruled the kingdom as a client state of the French Empire. The uniforms reflect the adoption of French military style, including standardized cuts, tricolor influences in detail, and Napoleonic-era regimental organization.
The plates serve both an artistic and documentary function, reconstructing the appearance of Westphalian troops based on archival sources, regulations, and earlier visual material. Knötel’s work is part of a broader effort to preserve and systematize European military uniform history, especially for states whose armies were reorganized or dissolved after the Napoleonic Wars.
Historically, the subject is significant because Westphalian troops were actively involved in Napoleonic campaigns between 1807 and 1813, including service in the Russian campaign of 1812 and subsequent defensive operations as the Napoleonic system collapsed in Germany.
