A soldier, possibly from the English Civil War, looks with shock towards an arrow embedded in his chest. He sits, surrounded by foliage, holding a dagger in his right hand.
Drawer Drawings B87 no. 31
Acquired November 2022
Invitation to a dinner of the Guardians of the Asylum for Female Orphans. At top is a scene of a woman leading three orphan children away to the left, while the bodies of soldiers are taken away to the right; text with the details of the meeting engraved below. The whole is enclosed within a border of leaves.
File 66 79- As861
Acquired November 2022
“A colossal but life-like bust of Napoleon is placed on a mound of decollated human heads. He gazes fixedly upwards in profile to the left; round his neck and bare breast is twisted a noose of rope. Round this idol dance demons with human heads, holding hands. They are naked except for head-coverings, and have horns, hairy legs, tail, with one leg terminating in a cloven hoof, the other in the claw of a bird of prey. These ‘Hell Hounds’ have labels hanging from a collar of rope, showing that they are ‘Caulincourt’, ‘Fouché’, ‘Savory’, with a pen in his hat (he succeeded Fouché as Minister of Police in 1810), ‘Vandamme’, ‘Davoust’, ‘Ney’, ‘Lefebre’. Two demons fly towards the emperor, holding a large wreath which is on fire, with the inscription ‘He Deserves A Crown of Pitch.’ This they are about to place on the idol’s head, towards which gallops through the air a small demon (right) on a goat, blowing a horn. In the foreground lie dead and dying soldiers, one is decapitated, another (right) is naked and has lost an arm which he holds out with an agonized expression towards the idol. In the background (left) soldiers are feeding a bonfire with ‘English Goods’. On the right is a blazing town.”–British Museum online catalogue.
815.04.08.01+
Acquired November 2022
768 In56 804
Acquired May 2022
Printed in two columns with a woodcut at the head of each column, and playing cards surrounding text.
File 68 837 P453+
Acquired June 2021
A scene on the frontier of the United States: a Native American (left) is shown scalping a dead British soldier. Another British soldier who has already been scalped is shown on the left edge of the design. In the center a second Native American, from whose rifle hangs a sign “Reward for 16 … scalps” and in whose knife initials “G.R.” have been etched, is shown handing a scalp to an obese British soldier (right). The speech balloon above the soldier ‘s head reads: “Bring me the scalps and the King our master will reward you”; from his pocket a strip of paper “Secret service money”. In the background, Native Americans and British soldiers dance around a fire.
813.00.00.25+
Acquired August 2021
“A scene from a play: a soldier admired by a lady at her dressing table stands before a table of heads and ghosts, with an elderly couple to the right.”–British Museum online catalogue.
825.01.22.01+
Acquired January 2020
“French soldiers are being cooked or drowned in a big round vat built of stone, under which a fire is burning. Blücher (left) and Wellington (right) stand over the vat, holding long-handled perforated ladles with which they skim the surface of the water, fishing out the soldiers. Blücher (left), saying “Mon cher Welington je commence a écumer j’espere que vous me Seconderez,” holds on his level ladle a hussar in large busby, braided tunic, and boots. Wellington holds up on his (tilted) ladle a man hanging head downwards. Beside the vat (right) is a rocky cone from a fissure in which the flames of Hell emerge; Cerberus, a monster with three serpentine necks and webbed wings, reaches from the opening towards Wellington’s captive, and devours his legs with two of his great jaws. Wellington answers: “mon ami Blucher je sais pret a vous suivre mais surtout travaille fort cette nuit.” Other soldiers struggle to get out or sink back hopelessly. An eagle (standard) projects from the water, on which float many tricolour cockades. Wellington’s victim, who has a moustache, is not Napoleon, who is a subordinate figure, struggling to get out, and extending his arms towards Wellington.”–British Museum online catalogue.
815.07.00.01+
Acquired May 2020
652 H673 800
Acquired January 2020
“Stylised representation of the Lord Mayor’s procession, framing a blank space in the centre of the sheet; two rows of figures at the top, 7 groups one above the other to either side, and the City Counsel on foot, the Aldermen and Lord Mayor on horseback forming the bottom of the frame.”–British Museum online catalogue.
File 66 742 C689++
Acquired November 2017