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Photo, Print, Drawing The Fencing Lesson. Die Fechtstunde

About this Item

Title

  • The Fencing Lesson.

Other Title

  • Die Fechtstunde

Summary

  • This original ink-and-watercolor caricature shows a petite, prancing Napoleon dueling with a heavy, domineering Gerhard Leberecht von Blücher, while a British sailor judges the match. The participants in the duel are backed by supporters: Napoleon's faction includes French generals, while von Blücher's includes German peasants and a Russian cossack. The caricature parodies political conditions at the time. Following Napoleon's retreat from Russia, the Germanic states, led by Prussia, reentered the wars against Napoleon. At the time the caricature was made, Prussian incursions were the primary threat to France, and von Blücher was the field marshal who pressed to move the Prussian army into France itself. The work is by the Prussian artist Johann Gottfried Schadow (1764-1850). Although best known as a sculptor, Schadow drew many political caricatures during the war. The watercolor is from the Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection at the Brown University Library, the foremost American collection devoted to the history and iconography of soldiers and soldiering, and one of the world's largest collections devoted to the study of military and naval uniforms.

Names

  • Schadow, Johann Gottfried, 1764-1850 Artist.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 1814.

Headings

  • -  France
  • -  1813 to 1814
  • -  Blücher, Gebhard Leberecht von, 1742-1819
  • -  Caricatures and cartoons
  • -  Fencing
  • -  Kings and rulers
  • -  Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1769-1821
  • -  Napoleonic Wars, 1800-1815

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 1 watercolor; 37.5 x 21.6 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: Brown University Library.
  • -  Content in French.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Source Collection

  • Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021669860

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Schadow, Johann Gottfried, Artist. The Fencing Lesson. France, 1814. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021669860/.

APA citation style:

Schadow, J. G. (1814) The Fencing Lesson. France, 1814. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021669860/.

MLA citation style:

Schadow, Johann Gottfried, Artist. The Fencing Lesson. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021669860/>.