Stuff You Missed in History Class
Episode: Géricault and the Raft of the Medusa (Part 2)
Hosts: Holly Fry & Tracy V. Wilson
Original Air Date: September 24, 2025

Overview

This episode concludes a two-part deep dive into the aftermath of the 1816 French naval disaster of the frigate Méduse, focusing on the public and political fallout, and how the tragedy inspired artist Théodore Géricault’s monumental painting, The Raft of the Medusa. Hosts Holly and Tracy discuss the survivor accounts, the official responses, the court martial, and Géricault’s personal and artistic journey in creating one of the most shocking and influential works of French Romanticism.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Aftermath of the Méduse Shipwreck

(Starts ~02:43)

• Survivors Dr. Henri Savigny (surgeon) and Alexandre Corréard (engineer) were among the ten who survived 13 horrific days on a makeshift raft, abandoned by the captain and most of the officers.
• Their detailed accounts laid blame squarely on Captain Hugues Duroy de Chaumareys, citing failures of leadership and duty.
• Official reports were subject to political manipulation: “Henri Sevigny returned to Paris to deliver the report to the Naval Ministry. But his report leaked to the papers...there was political maneuvering going on that wanted to use this report to damage the existing government.” – Tracy (05:00)
• Governor Schmaltz pressured Corréard to sign an inaccurate report, which he refused, even while hospitalized (06:00–06:51).

2. The Public Outcry and Court Martial

(07:23–13:14)

• Details of the raft ordeal, including the horror of cannibalism and the abandonment of the dying, became public knowledge with the release and wide translation of the survivors' book.
• Alternative narratives attempted to shift blame, but survivor accounts were widely accepted.
• Captain Chaumareys faced court martial in 1817:
  • Seemed unfazed and in denial of his guilt: “He was acting really weird and being like, remember how that happened? That I was trying to do the right thing.” – Tracy (07:23)
  • Ultimately received a lenient sentence: banned from the navy, stripped of honors and pension, financial penalties, and three years in prison (12:25–12:51).
  • Public and survivors felt the sentence didn’t match the scale of suffering and loss (13:14).

3. The Narrative’s Impact and Rise of Géricault’s Obsession

(13:52–18:18)

• The Méduse disaster gripped the French public, horrifying and fascinating all—especially young artist Théodore Géricault, who saw in it a potent indictment of post-Napoleonic French ineffectuality.
• Brief biographical portrait of Géricault:
  • Born in 1791 in Rouen, France, originally studied literature but pursued painting due to a lifelong love of horses (16:38–18:18).
  • Early life was marked by scandal: an affair with his young aunt-by-marriage Alexandrine, resulting in a child later surrendered to the state (18:18–25:00).

4. Géricault’s Artistic Evolution and Preparation

(19:30–25:00)

• Trained with prominent painters but developed a reputation for intense, unorthodox techniques (20:55).
• Notable early works depicted soldiers and horses in unheroic light, earning mixed reception for their implicit criticism of war (20:55–22:51).
• Disillusioned after a controversial salon debut, Géricault briefly served in the military, perhaps as a distraction (22:51–23:23).
• Travel and studies in Italy deepened his technique; only the Méduse story could draw him away from these pursuits (23:23–25:00).

5. Creating ‘The Raft of the Medusa’

(25:00–39:07)

• Seeking accuracy, Géricault consulted survivors Corréard and Savigny for firsthand details and even constructed a model raft (25:00–26:27).
  • “Jericho invited Alexandre Corrid and Henri Savigny to his studio to tell him personally about their experiences, and he worked with these two survivors to create a meticulously rendered illustration of the raft…” – Tracy (25:00)
• For realism, Géricault studied human decomposition in morgues, becoming fixated on copying decaying flesh, even keeping severed limbs in his studio (31:08–31:35).
  • “In some cases, the artist was able to get body parts from deceased persons and take them back to his studio...He even made daily images of the same limb decaying day after day…” – Holly (31:08)
• Painted Corréard and Savigny into the scene; refined the work up to and even after its installation at the Salon (31:35–32:38).

6. Reception and Legacy of the Painting

(32:38–40:56)

• The 16x23-foot painting was celebrated for its technical brilliance but criticized for depicting contemporary tragedy so graphically.
  • “It did win a gold medal, but no title, which was unusual. Some critics criticized Jericho for selecting the shipwreck as subject matter.” – Holly (33:46)
• English audiences responded with greater enthusiasm, seeing it as evidence of French incompetence (36:26).
• Géricault died young (age 32, 1824), without seeing the true impact of his masterpiece.

7. Géricault’s Later Work and the Mystery of the ‘Insane’ Portraits

(39:07–44:37)

• His late career included a haunting series: ‘Les Monomanes’ (Portraits of the Insane), painted under the influence of progressive psychiatrist Etienne Georget.
• Only five of the original ten are confidently identified; recent years (2021–2024) have seen the possible rediscovery of others, though attribution remains disputed.

8. The Fates of Key Figures

(40:56–41:58)

• Captain Chaumareys died in poverty ~1841.
• Corréard became a publisher and political agitator, died 1857.
• Savigny (survivor and author), dogged by blame, withdrew from public life, died 1843.
• The Raft of the Medusa remains in the Louvre, its impact undiminished.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “All of this obsessive behavior was tied to the desire to once again become the darling of the Paris Salon.” – Tracy (31:35)
• “It is a study of a pile of severed limbs.” – Holly, on Géricault’s Anatomical Fragments (31:08)
• “He was acting really weird and being like, remember how that happened? That I was trying to do the right thing.” – Tracy, on Captain Chaumareys’ denial (07:23)
• “This is like the worst work stories of today, where, like, somebody’s in the hospital… and their boss is like, I need you to sign this today, but it’s not true.” – Holly (06:28)
• “This was all rebellious on Jericho’s part, because this was essentially a painting that criticized war.” – Tracy (21:41)
• “We make no farther remarks. The public will judge of his account and ours.” – Savigny & Corréard, quoted in translation about rival narratives (10:50)
• “Everything indicates that it would have been obvious to his uncle that they had been having an affair.” – Tracy, on the Géricault family scandal (25:00)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:43] Main episode starts; recap and shipwreck aftermath
• [04:00] Survivor reports and political scandal
• [05:37] Official investigations and pressure to change testimony
• [07:23] The return to France and captain’s denial
• [11:26] Court martial proceedings and sentencing
• [13:52] Géricault’s obsession begins
• [16:38] Géricault’s early life and influences
• [20:55] First major paintings and their reception
• [23:23] Military service and Italian studies
• [25:00] Géricault’s pivot to the Medusa project
• [31:08] Study of decomposition and studio practices
• [32:38] Completion, exhibition, and critical reaction
• [36:26] The painting’s enthusiastic English reception
• [39:07] Portraits of the insane and their mystique
• [40:56] Fates of Chaumareys, Corréard, Savigny
• [41:32] The mystery of the lost portraits and ongoing discoveries

Conclusion

This episode expertly navigates how the tragedy of the Méduse resonated through French society and art, inspiring not only a pivotal social reckoning but the creation of one of the most dramatic and influential paintings in art history. Holly and Tracy’s narrative weaves together survival horror, political intrigue, art criticism, and Géricault’s haunted genius, making clear the power of image and story to shape how we understand catastrophe—and hold the powerful accountable.

(Listener mail and outro omitted. Ads and non-content sections skipped as requested.)