Denis Auguste Raffet (1804-1860)
Siege de Rome
1849
Lithography
8 x 14 1/4″  (20.32 x 36.2 cm)
Wetmore Print Collection, Connecticut College
FW-0321

Unlike other artworks in the genre of military art which emphasize on the heroism and individual, this print provides rich narrative content and military visual data of common soldiers to the genre. It belongs to Denis Auguste Raffet’s series of military lithographs Siege de Rome, which relates the historical event the Taken of Rome by France in 1840s. Traveling with and observing the French troops, Raffet showed his realist concern by focusing on lower-ranking soldiers, including their uniforms and actions. The fine outlines and delicate folds of the uniforms present Raffet’s meticulous observation and contribute valuable information to the genre of military art.