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SECOND CHARGE

OF THE GUARDS

(Plate 7)

Original tinted Lithographic print, by Day & Son,

from The Seat of War in the East (1855),

by William Simpson

Published by Paul & Dominic Colnaghi, Pall Mall, London, 1855

Second Charge of the Guards is an original antique lithographed print, produced by the publishers Colnaghi & Co. in 1855. It was one of a series of 79 prints based on the paintings of the Crimean war artist William Simpson that were collected in The Seat of War in the East, published by Colnaghi in 1855. This is Plate number 7. The title of the print and details of the artist, publishers and lithographers are printed in the lower margin: ‘W. Simpson’, ‘Paul & Dominic Colnaghi & Co., 13 & 14 Pall Mall East, Publishers to Her Majesty’, ‘Day & Son, Lithrs. to the Queen’, and ‘Colnaghi's Authentic Series’.

The print shows the British Guards attacking the Russian Two Gun Battery during the Battle of Inkermann on 5th November 1854. This is Brackenbury's description of the scene in his Descriptive Sketches Illustrating The First Series of The Seat of War in the East (1855): ‘Mr Simpson has chosen in this view the moment when the Guards are making their second successful charge into the well-known Sand-Bag Battery, from which they had been driven at an earlier period of the day by overwhelming numbers. The rear and flanks of the battery, as well as the sides of the steep ridge above, are crowded with the innumerable hosts of Russian infantry, whose close-packed columns in vain struggle to keep at bay the thinned but undaunted line of their resolute assailants’.

Wiliam Simpson (1823-1899): was commissioned by the publisher John Scott of Colnaghi & Co. travel to the Crimea to produce a series of watercolours and sketches that would eventually go on to become the illustrated portfolio The Seat of War in the East (1855).

Simpson arrived in the Crimea on 15th of November 1854, landing at the port of Balaklava on the Crimean Peninsula. His first assignment was to cover the disastrous Charge of the Light Brigade, despite the event having occurred three weeks before his arrival. The charge had taken place at Balaclava, and Simpson could make sketches from the scene of the battle, but he also relied on descriptions of the battle by those who had witnessed the charge. Simpson consulted with the Light Brigade’s commander, Lord Cardigan, to ensure that his depiction of the charge was accurate. It took several visits to Cardigan’s yacht before his painting was approved. Once Cardigan was satisfied with Simpson's depiction of the official version of events, the work was swiftly dispatched to London. Simpson went on to document a wide range of actions and events during the war, making drawings in the field – sometimes in watercolour and often accompanied by a detailed outline that noted important relevant information. Once completed, his work was then typically vetted by a general, and, if approved, sent to London using the military’s official postal service. From there, the work would be submitted for further vetting, before final approval by Queen Victoria herself. It was only after this long drawn out process that the images would finally be handed to the lithographers, Day & Son, to produce the final work.

Simpson left the Crimea in September 1855, returning to London as a minor celebrity, and becoming known as 'Crimean Simpson'. His collaboration with the publishers Colnaghi & Co, The Seat of the War in the East, which included 79 lithographs, was a major success, with two thousand copies being produced. This publication was to be the high water mark of Lithography - a process that was to be made obsolete by the arrival of photography. The Crimean War was the first to be photographed, and from the mid Victorian era onwards, photographers would replace war artists like Simpson as the chroniclers of all future wars.

Condition:

In good condition. The print is in good condition, with foxing and marks to the margins. There are some foxing marks within the sky area of the image itself.

Published: 1855
Single sheet, tinted lithographic print
Dimensions: image: 280mm x 410mm, (image plus margins: 365mm x 555mm)

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