Napoleon, cast as an emaciated hound, retreats, running across a frozen plain, his tail tucked between his legs. In this caricature, Napoleon's bust is drawn in profile and is attached rather incongruously to his dog's body. Wearing his trademark hat, his face is marked with an expression of worry and of fear. A tin pot scattering ominous messages is tied to his tail and drags behind. At the left of the sheet, fierce bears pursue him over the drifted snow. In the far distance, the city of Moscow is engulfed in flames. Corpses buried under the snow are further indicators of the bloodiness and havoc of the Russian campaign, and are indicated by faint outlines. Napoleon's defeat by "General Winter" and his cowardly evacuation is the subject of this satire. The Russians are here represented as large bears well inured against the winter weather.
Notes:
Published by Thomas Tegg, 1813-03-07. British Museum, BM 12024.
Caption: Pubd. Marh 7th 1813 by Thos Tegg III Cheapside London
Caption: Price one shilling coloured
Dialogue: Russian Bears: "Push on my lads--no grumbling--keep scent of him--no sucking of paws this winter--here is food for the Bears in all the Russias."
Dialogue: Napoleon: "What a horrible climate"--my only chance to escape the clutches of those monstrous Canables, is by taking to my heels--once more--I shall never be able to shake off this d___d old Kettle--trailing at my___ 'till my Tail drops off."
"The Corsican bloodhound, beset by the bears of Russia"
(1813).
Prints, Drawings and Watercolors from the Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection, Napoleonic Satires from the Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:232133/
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 …
