Two Russian peasants teach Napoleon to "dance." Napoleon stands between a seated figure who plays a horn (l.), and figure who holds a whip (r.). The peasant with a whip leans menacingly toward Napoleon and instructs him by pointing to the ground and directing his feet. Napoleon in turn attempts to oblige--he raises one arm overhead and struts backward with one leg thrown out in front of him. According to Broadley, Russian caricatures of Napoleon are virtually unknown before the French invasion. Terebenev, one of the best known Russian caricaturists, took his lead from counterparts in Britain. In turn, George Cruikshank engraved several of Terebenev's designs for the British market. Broadley attributes this cross fertilization to the Tzar's realization of the efficacy caricatures had as patriotic propaganda in Britain. This image is printed on pale blue paper.
"Russian peasants teach Boney how to dance"
(1812).
Prints, Drawings and Watercolors from the Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection, Napoleonic Satires.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:232062/
This vast digital collection of military artwork from the 16th through 20th centuries, vividly documents all aspects of military and naval history, with emphasis on the history and illustration of world military and naval uniforms from the 17th century to …
The Napoleonic satires housed in the Anne S. K. Brown Military collection of the John Hay Library represent several important gifts made to the library in the 20th century. In addition to the Napoleonic satires located in the military collection …
