Mon Caporal, Je n'ai pu avons que ça
1823
Medium
lithograph
Dimensions
image: 15.4 x 20.7 cm (6 1/16 x 8 1/8 in.) sheet: 28 x 40.3 cm (11 x 15 7/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Frank Anderson Trapp
Accession Number
2004.128.49
Art Historical Context
Step into the lively world of early 19th-century French military life with Horace Vern *Mon Caporal, Je n pu avons que ça* (1823), a charming lithograph capturing a moment of soldierly banter. The title, roughly translating to "My Corporal, could only get that," suggests a humorous exchange—perhaps a recruit sheepishly presenting meager spoils to his superior. Vernet, a master of Romantic-era military scenes, drew from his deep familiarity with the barracks, infusing his works with energy and realism inherited from his father, Carle Vernet. Created as a lithograph on a modest scale (image 15....