Louis XIV's Total Image

Hyacinthe Rigaud's 1701 portrait of Louis XIV is the supreme example of royal image control. The 63-year-old king is shown with youthful legs (he was proud of them), heavy ermine-lined robes, the crown of France beside him, and a scepter in his hand. Every detail proclaims: I am the state.

Modern political photography follows the same ancient playbook. Every presidential portrait, every carefully staged summit handshake uses composition and lighting techniques that Holbein and Velázquez would recognize instantly as propaganda.