Waterloo 2015 - Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo
2015 marks the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo, so we have compiled a unique and varied collection of maps, battle plans, portraits, printed ephemera, scenes and more to help illustrate the significance of the most important military battle of the 19th century.
In June 1815 Wellington, with his British and Allied army, faced Napoleon, with his French Imperial Guard. They were the same age, formidable strategists and had a string of victories behind them. Our collection of portraits portray the two leaders at different stages of their lives and military careers:
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| The Right Honble. Lord Wellington. &c.&c. Drawn by Capt. Raria Engraved by M. Place. [n.d., c.1810.] Stipple engraving with etching, image 206 x 164mm. Trimmed inside plate. Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Field Marshal and Prime Minister (1769 - 1852). His right hand points to battle plans from the Peninsula War campaign on a table. [Ref: 7935] £85.00 (£102.00 incl.VAT) |
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| Arthur Duke Of Wellington Field Marshall &c.&c. Engd. by W.H. Lizars Edinr. [n.d., c.1815.] Stipple engraving with hand coloured aquatint, sheet 260 x 195mm. Trimmed to plate, into printed area. Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Field Marshal and Prime Minister (1769 - 1852). This portrait commemorating his part in the final defeat of Napoleon, with a crown and inscription 'Waterloo' above. Strong colour. [Ref: 7933] £220.00 |
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| The Duke of Wellington &c. &c. &c. Th: Phillips pinx. N. Strixner del: 1825. [Munich: J. Stuntz, c.1825.] Tinted lithograph, rare & very fine. Printed area 370 x 285mm (14½ x 11¼"). Portrait of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. This print, from the portrait by Thomas Phillips showing Wellington's many medals from the Peninsular and Napoleonic wars, was made in 1825, while Wellington was a cabinet minister but before he became Prime Minister (1828). Published in 'Les Oeuvres Lithographiques', a huge series of reproductive plates of paintings, by Johann Nepomuk Strixner (1782 - 1855) and Ferdinand Piloty (1786-1844). Their work did much to popularise lithography, as they showed the technique could achieve all the same effects as other engraving techniques. [Ref: 31796] £420.00 |
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| Wellington. War. Peace. Royal Album No.14. Alfred Carlile, Lithographer. London. [n.d. c.1845.] Lithograph. 266 x 209mm. 10½ x 8¼". Slight creasing to lower left. Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) on his horse and in battle to the left, with Eirene to the right standing holding a spear and with her cornucopia in front of a field of wheat. [Ref: 27762] £110.00 (£132.00 incl.VAT) |
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| The Marquis of Wellington, K.G. Field Marshall. Onorate l'altissimo Campione, Dedicated with Permission to the R.t. Hon.ble. Lady Anne Culling Smith. A. Aglio etch.d. Engraved by H. S. Minasi from a picture by A. Aglio. The por.t. improved from the Bust by P. Turnerelli Sculptor to her Majesty. Stadler Aqua.t. H. S. Minasi 16 Broad Street Golden Squ.e. & to be had of Mess.rs. Colnaghi & Co. [n.d., c.1813.] Hand coloured Aquatint with large margins. 420 x 310mm (16½ x 12"). Staining on left margin. Scarce. Mounted portrait of The Marquis of Wellington pointing into the distance, several cavalrymen, some with drawn swords. Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) was a stateman and military leader who rose to prominence during the Napoleonic Wars. [Ref: 32152] £420.00 |
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| Wellington W.L. Walton delt. Vincent Brooks, Lith. Printed at 421 Oxford St. Tinted lithograph with large margins, fine & very rare. Printed area 430 x 320mm (17 x 12½"). Portrait of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, in uniform with the 'Order of the Golden Fleece' at his collar. The Order, founded by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430 'to honor and exalt the noble order of knighthood', was later inherited by the Hapsburgs and split between the Spanish and Austrian branches. During the Peninsular War, when France was occupying Spain, the order was presented to Napoleon and his brother Joseph but these were revoked by King Ferdinand on the restoration of Bourbon rule in 1813. However the king confirmed the award made by the acting government of Spain to Wellington in 1812, with the approval of Pope Pius VII, making the Duke the first Protestant recipient. [Ref: 35267] £260.00 |
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| The Duke of Wellington. [London: Thomas Kelly, c.1816.] Coloured etching. Sheet 220 x 180mm (8¾ x 7"), watermarked 'J Whatman 1814'. Trimmed within plate, mounted in album paper. A portrait of the Duke on horseback in his field marshal's uniform, baton in hand. [Ref: 37060] £85.00 (£102.00 incl.VAT) |
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| [The Duke of Wellington] Shadow of a Great Warrior and Statesman. G.B. Black 1852. Drawn and Lithographed by G.B. Black. Printed by R.Black. [Dated 1852 in image.] Tinted lithograph. Sheet 230 x 290mm (9 x 11½"). Trimmed close to border. The shadow of the Duke of Wellington on horseback, in uniform, head bowed, projected against a wall. The old Field Marshal and Prime Minister died on 14 September 1852. [Ref: 37061] £50.00 (£60.00 incl.VAT) |
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| A Picture of the Times 1830. Marks fect. Hand-coloured etching. Sheet: 205 x 180mm, (8 x 7"). Trimmed. Laid on album sheet. The Duke of Wellington stands on a stack of books titled 'Free Trade', 'Corn Monopoly',' Beer Monopoly', dividing the image into two halves: 'Cloudy' and 'Sunshine'. The 'Sunshine' half is full of happy well fed gentry with St Pauls, the Bank of England etc. behind them. The 'Cloudy' half shows a workhouse and a prison full to bursting which are surrounded by starving figures. Wellington proclaims, 'The distress is not Universal!!! For look at the Taxgatherers, Lawyers, Doctors, Undertakers, Placemen, Pensioners, Parsons &c &c &c.' [Ref: 37468] £140.00 (£168.00 incl.VAT) |
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| [Napoleone Buonaparte. First Consul of France. Born at Calvi in Corsia, Department of the Golo, August 15, 1769.] [Painted by J.J. Masquerier, Paris from Life. Engraver by Chas. Turner, London.] [London, Published as the Act directs March 21. 1801, for the Proprietors, & may be had at No. 22 Piccadilly.] Mezzotint, proof before letters, sheet 410 x 290mm. 16 x 11½". Trimmed to plate. Surface scratch. Interesting and scarce portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 – 1821), as a youthful long-haired army commander; probably after his successes in the Italian campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars. Whitman: 398. [Ref: 16029] £250.00 (£300.00 incl.VAT) |
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| Napoleon Buonaparte. [n.d., c.1840.] Coloured lithograph. Sheet 150 x 130mm (6 x 5"). Some paper flecks stuck in gum arabic. Napoleon in uniform, hand inside his tunic, seemingly mid-career. [Ref: 36045] £60.00 (£72.00 incl.VAT) |
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| Adieu Mal Maison!!! [Dessiné par Isabey à malmaison. Gravé par C. L. Lingée et Terminé par R. Cooper.] [n.d. c.1804.] Stipple. 360 x 265mm (14¼ x 10½"). Cut, title stuck on. Trimmed to border. Full-length portrait of Napoleon in the gardens at the château of Malmaison, after a black chalk drawing executed in 1801 and shown at the Salon in 1802 which now part of the collections of Château de la Malmaison. Lingée also engraved a larger version of the portrait. Provenance: Elizabeth Anne Hippisley of Ston Easton. See Ref: 14408 for another impression without title. [Ref: 29448] £220.00 |
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| [Napoleon Bonaparte.] [Johann Michael Voltz]. [c. 1814.] Coloured etching. Sheet 245 x 145mm. (9¾ x 5¾"). Trimmed within plate, lacking the explanatory text. A satirical portrait of Napoleon: his face made of the corpses of those 'who perished on the Plains of Russia and Saxony'; his hat the imperial eagle; his collar the Red Sea, symbolizing those who drowned in sea battles; his tunic is a map of northern Germany, marking battles around the Rhine, Elbe & Oder, over which a spider spins its web. [Ref: 33811] £240.00 |
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| Portrait de Napoléon, En Grand Costume de Roi d'Italie. d'apres Appiani. T.re Deligny. Imp.ie litho de Sentex, rue de la Feuillade, No 5. [n.d., c.1834.] Lithograph. Sheet 260 x 210mm (10¼ x 8¼"). Napoleon Bonaparte in his ceremonial robes as King of Italy. He was crowned on the 17th March 1805 and deposed 11th April 1814. The artist, Andrea Appiani (17540817), was given a pension by the kingdom of Italy which was revoked after Napoleon's fall, leaving him in poverty. The original painting did not feature the laurel wreath. [Ref: 36005] £50.00 (£60.00 incl.VAT) |
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| [Napoleon in 1814.] [after Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier.] Frank Sternberg [pencil signature.] Copyright 1912. Virtue & Co, City Road, London. Colour-printed mezzotint with very large margins, signed by the engraver. Image 450 x 340mm (17¾" x 13½"). A portrait of Napoleon mounted on his favourite charger, Marengo, in 1814. The original oil was painted in 1862, during the rule of Napoleon's nephew, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (1808-1873), better known as Napoleon III; it is now in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. [Ref: 35988] £130.00 (£156.00 incl.VAT) |
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| Napoleon Bonaparte. The Alps & Italy stamp'd him a splemdid General _ Spain, Switzerland and Palm, emphatically present the Man. B. Smith sculp. Published by A. Beugo, No 38, Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, March 1 - 1810. Stipple & engraving. Sheet 175 x 120mm (6¾ x 4¾"). Trimmed and laid on album sheet. Bust portrait of Napoleon with a depiction of a five-franc piece. [Ref: 36032] £45.00 (£54.00 incl.VAT) |
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| Bonaparte. J. Northcote R.A. Pinx.t. S.W. Reynolds Sculp. London, Published August 10. 1801, by John Jeffryes, Clapham Road. Mezzotint with scratch letter title, very scarce. Sheet 655 x 550mm (25¾ x 21½"). Trimmed into plate on three sides, edges scuffed and nicked: a battered example of a superb image. An equestrian portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte as First Consul, sword in hand and white horse rearing. This example is a state undescribed by Whitman, between his states I & II. The third and final state has Napoleon's face replaced with that of Alexander I of Russia. BM: 2010,7081.5254, this state; Whitman 206, undescribed. [Ref: 36150] £220.00 |
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| [Napoleon.] Charlet. 1821. [etched in plate.] Engraved by Maile from the Original picture by Charlet. Rare mezzotint, plate 414 x 291mm (16¼ x 11½"). Trimmed inside plate along lower edge. Margins on left slightly creased. Napoleon, French Emperor from 1804 to 1815, in a dark, windswept landscape standing beside a camp fire; soldiers seen in background. The print is dated 1821, the same year of Napoleon's death, suggesting it was intended as an elegy for the former French general and emperor. Provenance: Elizabeth Anne Hippisley of Ston Easton. [Ref: 29444] £320.00 |
The Battle
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday, 18th June 1815, near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Although Napoleon’s troops mounted a strong attack against the British,
the arrival of the Prussians turned the tide against the French. Reportedly fatigued and in poor health during the Belgian campaign, Napoleon committed tactical errors and acted indecisively, ultimately ending his reign of power. By some estimates, the French suffered more than 33,000 casualties
(including dead, wounded or taken prisoner), while British and Prussian
casualties numbered more than 22,000.
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| To his Royal Highness The Prince Regent This Plate of the Battle of Waterloo, on the 18th of June 1815, is with gracious Permission humbly Dedicated by His Royal Highness's most obedient and devoted humble Servants, Hurst, Robinson & Co. Painted by J. A. Atkinson. The Portraits by A. W. Devis. Drawn & Engravedby John Burnet. London Published June 18 1819 by Hurst, Robinson & Co. late Boydells, 90 Cheapside, & D.k Artarie, Manheim. Engraving on India paper. Sheet size: 500 x 630mm (19¾ x 24¾"). Trimmed inside plate. Laid on backing sheet. Light surface creasing in some areas. A battle scene at Waterloo with the Duke of Wellington on horseback to the left, surrounded by officers, with his hat raised in his right hand. Wounded soldiers lie in the foreground with fighting occurring over the entire field behind and into the distance. A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by the armies of the Seventh Coalition, comprising an Anglo-allied army under the command of the Duke of Wellington combined with a Prussian army under the command of Gebhard von Blücher. Lettered below image with coat of arms encircled by a garland and a dedication to the Prince Regent from the publishers. [Ref: 36193] £250.00 |
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| The Battle of Waterloo. To the Prince Regent this Plate is with His Most Gracious Permission Humbly Dedicated by His Royal Highnesses Obliged Devoted & Faithful Servants T. Clay and R. Lambe. [&] To Field Marshal H.R.H. the Duke of York this Plate is with Permission most Humbly Dedicated by His Royal Highness's Obliged Devoted & Faithful Servants R. Lambe and T. Clay. Alexander Sauerweid Pinx.t. John W. Cook [& H.R. Cook], Sculpt. London: Pub.d Mar. 1. [& June 18th.] 1819, by R. Lambe, 96, Gracechurch Street and T. Clay, 18, Ludgate Hill. Pair of mixed method engravings with small margins. 550 x 820mm (21½ x 32¼"). Some wear to edges. Repairs & damaged. Sky scuffed. Pair of large rare scenes from the Battle of Waterloo. The first scene is focused on the Duke of Wellington, shown on horseback with a telescope in his right hand, having given the order for the advance of the British troops. The second shows the charge of the British heavy cavalry led by General Henry Paget (1768-1854), Earl of Uxbridge, against Comte d'Erlon's column, which checked the French advance. One of the last cannonballs shot that day hit Paget's right leg necessitating its amputation. He was created Marquess of Anglesey the following month. Alexander Sauerweid (1782 - 1844) was a Baltic German painter who specialised in battle scenes and horses. He studied in Dresden and received commissions of horse portraits from Napoleon before moving to St Petersburg to paint official portraits of Russian troops and their uniforms for Alexander I. He also instructed the sons of Nocholas I in drawing. In 1831 he bcame a director of the St Petersburg Academy. [Ref: 36757] £950.00 |
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| Bataille de Waterloo. (18 Juin 1815). Stuben pinxit. Audibran sculp. Imp.ie F. Chardon ainé, 30 Hautefeuille, Paris. Coloured steel engraving. Sheet 230 x 290mm (9 x 11½"). Napoleon mounted on his grey horse Marengo in the heat of the Battle of Waterloo. [Ref: 37131] |
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| The Battle of Waterloo Decided by the Duke of Wellington, Heading a charge upon the French Imperial Guards, June 18.th. 1815. J. A. Atkinson Del. M. Dubourg Sculp. Published & Sold Sep.r.1. 1815 by Edw.d Orme, Publisher to his Majesty & H. R. H. the Prince Regent, Bond Street corner of Brook St London. Coloured aquatint. Sheet 220 x 285mm (8¾ x 11¼"). Tear taped. Cut inside plate. Battle scene depicting Wellington's charge on the Imperial Guard. Wellington, mounted upon his horse Copenhagen, calls the charge, brandishing his sword. A figure in a recognisable bicorne hat (perhaps Napoleon) watches the battle from the safety of a platform behind the French line. Wellington's charge, which took place several hours into the Battle of Waterloo, combined with Blücher's attack on Napoleon's right-flank, drove the French troops into disorder allowing the coalition forces to win the day. [Ref: 37132] £120.00 (£144.00 incl.VAT) |
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| Waterloo. Conveying the French Cannon from the Field of Battle, on the 24th July, 1815. From a Drawing made on the Spot, July 24th, 1815. Publish'd by R. Bowyer, Pall Mall, 1816. Coloured aquatint. Sheet 290 x 410mm (11½ x 16"). Centre fold as normal. An illustration from Bowyer's 'Campaign of Waterloo', a sequel to his 'Illustrated Record of Important Events in the Annals of Europe', the narrative of which had ended after the first abdication of Napoleon Bonaparte in April 1814. Abbey Life: 354. [Ref: 37130] £130.00 (£156.00 incl.VAT) |
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| The Battle at Waterloo. [After Baron Charles Steuben.] [n.d., c.1845.] Lithograph, very rare. Framed. Printed area: 405 x 545mm (16 x 21½"). Frame size: 645 x 810mm (25½ x 32"). Unexamined out of frame. A dramatic scene at the Battle of Waterloo, with Napoleon on horseback in the centre, facing left, looking grimly at his struggling soldiers who fall on all sides, with one running up from the left, waving his hat behind him as he speaks urgently to the Emperor. The French standards are flying behind them. A Scottish officer watches the scene with a thoughtful expression in the extreme left. After German painter Baron Charles Guillaume Henri Auguste François Louis Steuben (1788 - 1856). [Ref: 36154] £360.00 |
Battle Plans and Maps
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| A Plan of the Glorious Battle of Waterloo, Fought on Sunday, June 18th, 1815; Between the Allied Armies, under the command of His Grace the Duke of Wellington, and of Prince Blucher; and the French Army under the command of Napoleon Buonaparte. Davies sculp.t Compton Street: Brunsw.k Square. Published by R. Bowyer, Pall Mall, 1816. Engraved map. 350 x 290mm (13¾ x 7½"), paper watermarked 'J. Whatman 1814'. Very large margins. Faint printer's crease. The map from Bowyer's 'Campaign of Waterloo', a sequel to his 'Illustrated Record of Important Events in the Annals of Europe', the narrative of which had ended after the first abdication of Napoleon Bonaparte in April 1814. [Ref: 37302] £220.00 |
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| Plans of the Battle of Waterloo, at Different Periods on the 18th June 1815. London, Published by John Booth, Duke Street, Portland Place, Feb.y 2nd 1816. Engraved map with hand colour. Sheet 215 x 315mm (8½ x 12¼"). Trimmed to printed border, and mounted in album paper. Maps of the battle at noon, 2pm and at the close of action. Published in John Booth's 'The Battle of Waterloo, Containing the Series of Accounts Published by Authority, British and Foreign, with Circumstantial Details, Previous, During and After the Battle, from a Variety of Authentic and Original Sources, with Relative Official Documents, Forming an Historical Record of the Operations in the Campaign of the Netherlands'. He used the pseudonym 'A Near Observer'. [Ref: 37303] £190.00 |
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| Theatre of War, 1815. From the Straits of Dover, to the Rhine at Strasburg, and from Holland to Paris. Published February 1 1816. by John Booth, Duke Street, Portland Place. Engraved map with hand colour. Sheet 215 x 290mm (8½ x 11¼"). Trimmed, affecting title and publisher's address, mounted in album paper. Map of the campaign that culminated with the Battle of Waterloo. Published in John Booth's 'The Battle of Waterloo, Containing the Series of Accounts Published by Authority, British and Foreign, with Circumstantial Details, Previous, During and After the Battle, from a Variety of Authentic and Original Sources, with Relative Official Documents, Forming an Historical Record of the Operations in the Campaign of the Netherlands'. He used the pseudonym 'A Near Observer'. [Ref: 37314] £120.00 |
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| Plans of the Battles of Ligny and Quatre-Bras, June 16, 1815. London, Published by John Booth, Duke Street, Portland Place, Feb.y 2nd 1816. Engraved map with hand colour. Sheet 215 x 250m (8½ x 9¾"). Trimmed to printed border, and mounted in album paper. Three maps on one sheet, detailing the two battles fought in the build-up to Waterloo, as Wellington attempted to stop Bonaparte's assault on Brussels. Published in John Booth's 'The Battle of Waterloo, Containing the Series of Accounts Published by Authority, British and Foreign, with Circumstantial Details, Previous, During and After the Battle, from a Variety of Authentic and Original Sources, with Relative Official Documents, Forming an Historical Record of the Operations in the Campaign of the Netherlands'. He used the pseudonym 'A Near Observer'. [Ref: 37312] £140.00 |
The battle definitively ended the series of wars that had divided
Europe, and involved many other regions of the world, since the French Revolution of the early 1790s. It also ended the First French Empire and the political and military career of Napoleon Bonaparte, one of the greatest commanders and statesmen in history. It was followed by almost half a century of international peace in Europe.
To view our full selection of catalogued stock relating to the Battle of Waterloo, please click here, but remember, there's much more to see in store!
