(OP here.) Yes, I think this is really the most important issue. Minard's graph was never meant to be observed in isolation, but is part of a greater visual rhe

(OP here.) Yes, I think this is really the most important issue. Minard's graph was never meant to be observed in isolation, but is part of a greater visual rhetoric. It is also in this context that I did observe the various sources of the graph a bit closer. – I guess, we may say what has become "our Minard" isn't necessarily the "authentic" Minard.