His hand is tucked into his uniform. Not in a pocket, per se, but right through the buttons<\/a>, which have been opened to accommodate all five fingers. It looks a little like he\u2019s getting ready to pull out a pocket watch or a pistol. It\u2019s not a pose<\/a> you would see commonly these days, that\u2019s for sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The more you look at it, the stranger it becomes. What\u2019s especially interesting is that this wasn\u2019t the first or only time Emperor Napoleon posed like this; it was something of his signature look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The \u201chand-in-waistcoat\u201d pose wasn\u2019t even Napoleon\u2019s invention<\/a>. It was extremely popular at the time, especially in portraits of royalty and noblemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of the most famous portraits of all time feature men with a hand tucked inside a shirt, vest, or coat. A few notable examples include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The pose wasn\u2019t just ever-present in old paintings; it eventually made its way into the early days of black-and-white photography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s philosopher Karl Marx in 1875, doing the same thing with his right hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, what gives? Why the hand tuck? The simple explanation is that the pose was a sign of dignity and high class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It likely dates back to ancient Greece<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSome societal circles in ancient Greece considered it disrespectful to speak with your hands outside of your clothing,\u201d writes Readers Digest<\/em><\/a>. \u201cStatuary from the sixth century BC, therefore, showed celebrated orators such as Solon with their hands tucked into their cloaks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keeping one hand in a robe also helped prevent nervous gestures while speaking, which made the pose commonplace among powerful men and great orators, such as Aeschines, who helped popularize it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 17th and 18th centuries, portraiture was incredibly important. It helped symbolize the power held by royalty, functioning almost as propaganda. It was crucial for figures of nobility to appear powerful in their portraits, so they adopted the ancient Greek approach to posing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cConcealing a hand in a shirt became a common pose in paintings as a symbol of statesmanlike nobility and restraint,\u201d writes BBC History Magazine<\/a><\/em>. \u201cAccording to a 1737 book on etiquette, The Rudiments of Genteel Behaviour<\/em> by Fran\u00e7ois Nivelon, it symbolised \u2018manly boldness tempered with modesty.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similar poses, like holding your hands behind your back, are still often perceived as displays of confidence and thoughtfulness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But there are other, more fun explanations and theories behind this iconic pose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some theorize that sitting for portraits, especially paintings, took so long that it was more comfortable to rest one hand inside a jacket. In fact, portrait sittings could require several sessions, each lasting multiple hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Others point to the famous idiom, \u201cIt costs an arm and a leg!\u201d Hands and feet are notoriously difficult to paint, even for seasoned artists, so hiding one\u2019s fingers could make a portrait easier and perhaps even cheaper. Painter Thomas Hudson<\/a> was responsible for so many famous portraits featuring this pose that some theorized he was simply terrible at painting hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"photography,](\"https:\/\/www.upworthy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/origin_dc4424.jpg?w=1200&quality=80\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nNapoleon didn\u2019t invent this pose<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"photography,](\"https:\/\/www.upworthy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/origin_37e330.jpg?w=1200&quality=80\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"photography,](\"https:\/\/www.upworthy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/origin_89a6b0.png?w=1200&quality=80\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSo why did everyone do this?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There are some fun theories too<\/h2>\n\n\n\n