Post #3939201
2026-07-19 17:15 UTC
Minard’s graph of Napoleon’s Russia campaign was created to show the horrors of war. It “defies the pen of the historian in its brutal eloquence." I get that, but as visual communication, maybe a side-by-side of two famous pictures of Napoleon works better for getting across the “how it started / how it ended” horror?
(Yes, the first picture isn’t set at the start of the invasion of Russia. Work with me here.)
Replies (1)
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@Spoofer3@infosec.exchange 2026-07-19 17:51
@marick@mstdn.social I think both approaches have strengths for different purposes...like if I'm a numbers person, the graph is really impactful in the magnitude of the loss over time and distance. If I'm an emotions person, the painting may speak a lot more though they are two point captures in contrast to the data over time of the chart. Different audiences/contexts/purposes will have different suitability.