A Party of Life Guards
Medium
Lithograph
Dimensions
Image: 10 11/16 × 13 1/2 in. (27.1 × 34.3 cm) Sheet: 15 1/16 x 21 9/16 in. (38.2 x 54.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1922
Accession Number
22.63.24
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Created in 1821, *A Party of Life Guards* captures a dynamic scene of British cavalry soldiers and their horses in motion. Théodore Gericault, the leading French Romantic artist best known for dramatic works like *The Raft of the Medusa*, designed this lithograph during his time in England. Printed by Charles Joseph Hullmandel and published by Rodwell & Martin, the work exemplifies the early artistic use of lithography—a relatively new medium that allowed for fluid, expressive lines and tonal effects closer to drawing than traditional engraving. The subject reflects the post-Napoleonic fascination with military life and equestrian subjects. Gericault’s Romantic style emphasizes movement, energy, and the powerful bond between rider and horse, rendered with vivid realism and emotional intensity. As one of a series of lithographs exploring contemporary life, this print helped elevate the medium from commercial reproduction to fine art. Measuring roughly 10 by 13 inches in the image, the work showcases Gericault’s ability to convey both grandeur and immediacy through printmaking, making military themes accessible to a broader audience in the 1820s.
About the Artist
Rodwell & Martin|Théodore Gericault|Charles Joseph Hullmandel (French|British|British) · 1791 |1789 |1819 –1824 |1850 |1835
French, Rouen 1791–1824 Paris|British, London 1789–1850 London|British, active 1819–35