Early 1800s Prints

Prints from the early 1800s and late 1700s — Napoleonic era focus

[printsandplates]

Description des cols, ou passages des Alpes

M. Bourrit, 1803

[nemfrog]

Playing card. [Jeu de cartes allemand au portrait à deux têtes] 1815.

Gallica

[printsandplates]

A gentleman and a lady in an empire style dress (fashion plate), 1804, Napoleonic era

Jan Antony Langendijk

Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main

[printsandplates]

A Napoleonic era soldier hugs a woman, 1809 (fashion plate)

Jan Antony Langendijk

Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main

[printsandplates]

Fête du sacre et couronnement de leurs Majestés Impériales

Coronation of Napoleon I, 2 December 1804

Fireworks burst from behind a mountain at the Sacred Festival and Coronation of their Imperial Majesties in Paris, France, in the early 1800s.

View from the Place de Grève of an illuminated ship, emblem of the city of Paris, on the river and fireworks on an artificial mountain landscape, a tableau representing the passage of the Mont St. Bernard, on the opposite bank.

[printsandplates]

Vue brillante de l'aniversaire du 14 juillet 1801 [full title: Vue Brillante de l'Anniversaire du 14 Juillet 1801 du 25 Messidor de l'An 9. Feu d'artifice tiré à l'Etoille des Champs Elisées, sous le consul Buonaparte premier de la République Française

Summary: Print shows a crowd viewing fireworks at a Bastille Day celebration in Paris put on by Napoleon Bonaparte. A balloon appears in the upper right corner.

[printsandplates]

La joie du peuple français à l'annonce du traité de paix avec l'Empire

[The joy of the French people at the announcement of the peace treaty with the Empire]

A travelling vendor declaiming the text of the peace treaty of Campo Formio with Austria to a small audience of peasants in their cottage; at the right a hawker counting his profits from selling the prints from a basket he is holding with a placard ‘Victoire remportée par le Général Buonaparte’; portrait of Napoleon on the wall above; set within an engraved frame with verses below. 1797 Engraving with some stippling.

Auguste Legrand, Philibert-Louis Debucourt

[printsandplates]

145/126 Line Infantry, 1st Regiment, Departmental Guard, 1st Company

Troupes Françaises series

Source: Napoleon's Army: 1807-1814 as Depicted in the Prints of Aaron Martinet, By Guy C. Dempsey, Jr.

[printsandplates]

Detail of a hat that looks similar to the 1812/1813 ‘pokalem’ cap, however “the concentric circles ornamenting the top of the cap are unique.”

76/257 Dragoon, Stable Dress, Morning Grooming

Troupes Françaises series

Source: Napoleon's Army: 1807-1814 as Depicted in the Prints of Aaron Martinet, By Guy C. Dempsey, Jr.

[printsandplates]

56/294 Mounted Carabinier, — Regiment

This print presents a remarkably accurate picture of the post-1810 Carabinier uniform.

Troupes Françaises series

Source: Napoleon's Army: 1807-1814 as Depicted in the Prints of Aaron Martinet, By Guy C. Dempsey, Jr.

[printsandplates]

54/61 Imperial Guard, Sailor

The figure in this print is dressed in an early version of the full dress uniform of the Guard Sailors because, some time after 1805, all models of Dolman had five rows of buttons instead of the three shown here.

Troupes Françaises series

Source: Napoleon's Army: 1807-1814 as Depicted in the Prints of Aaron Martinet, By Guy C. Dempsey, Jr.

[printsandplates]

53/267 Imperial Guard, Officer of Engineer Sappers

Troupes Françaises series

Source: Napoleon's Army: 1807-1814 as Depicted in the Prints of Aaron Martinet, By Guy C. Dempsey, Jr.

[printsandplates]

52/253 Imperial Guard, Engineer Sapper

A company of Sappers was added to the Guard by a decree dated 10 July 1810. Their purpose was to provide fire-fighting protection to imperial palaces and residences by manning mobile water pumps. The exotic aspect of their uniform was provided by a massive steel helmet similar to that worn by the Carabiniers.

Troupes Françaises series

Source: Napoleon's Army: 1807-1814 as Depicted in the Prints of Aaron Martinet, By Guy C. Dempsey, Jr.

[printsandplates]

51/101 Imperial Guard, Train

Troupes Françaises series

Source: Napoleon's Army: 1807-1814 as Depicted in the Prints of Aaron Martinet, By Guy C. Dempsey, Jr.

[printsandplates]

50/238.1 Ex-Guard Train in 1813

Despite the date in the caption to this print, the uniform it depicts corresponds most closely to the description of the uniform which came into use for the Guard Artillery Train in late 1809-10.

Troupes Françaises series

Source: Napoleon's Army: 1807-1814 as Depicted in the Prints of Aaron Martinet, By Guy C. Dempsey, Jr.

[printsandplates]

49/270 Imperial Guard, Horse Artillery Officer

Troupes Françaises series

Source: Napoleon's Army: 1807-1814 as Depicted in the Prints of Aaron Martinet, By Guy C. Dempsey, Jr.

[printsandplates]

47/198 Horse Artilleryman of the Guard

The wide-eyed figure staring down at the shell about to explode at his feet gives a manic touch to this print. There are no details other than the blue saddle cloth to confirm that this figure is a member of the Imperial Guard, because the dress uniforms of both Line and Guard horse artillery were almost identical.

Troupes Françaises series

Source: Napoleon's Army: 1807-1814 as Depicted in the Prints of Aaron Martinet, By Guy C. Dempsey, Jr.