Napoleonic Wars FRENCH Army POLITICAL SATIRE CARICATURE

A rare Prussian political caricature of the French Army and their treatment of captives. Dates from 1810 to 1815.

Here we present a rare lithograph dating from the Napoleonic Wars taken from the point of view of Prussia. With a captions in German, the lithograph depicts the treatment of prisoners by the French Army.

The Napoleonic Wars were a series of conflicts declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions (most notably Britain, Spain, and Russia) that ran from 1803 to 1815. This war revolutionized European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to the application of modern mass conscription. During these initial stages of the Industrial Revolution, it became easy to mass-produce weapons and equip significantly larger forces than in the past. French power rose quickly as Napoleon's armies conquered much of Europe but collapsed rapidly after France's disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812. This satirical lithograph portrays the treatment prisoners received at the hands of the French.

The lithograph dates as early as 1803, and is obviously in response to the anger at France's battlefield victories during the Napoleonic Wars. It measures 11 1/2 inches wide and 8 1/2 inches high.

This lithograph is close to 200 years old, and there is some predictably rough foxing across the piece, as well as tears along the edges. The lower right corner has a small tear, but that is easily concealed with a good framing. The paper was obviously folded in four, and there are resulting creases across the portrait. The caricature itself is crisp and clear, but does have stain spots. There are a pair of holes in the upper right side. Its appearance is almost that of parchment, making it very suitable to the period this piece hails from. Considering the age of this piece, it is in outstanding shape, and it would perhaps work best if framed.

This lithograph is rare. Most lithograph caricatures of the Napoleonic era were done in English, but this is captioned in German. It covers a famous, world-changing conflict. Properly framed, this piece would make a unique and valuable acquisition for history buffs, especially those collecting Napoleonic Wars memorabilia..

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