Two French unframed gouache & legend in ink political, military,
satirical paintings (trench art?) on paper. A man is entering a high fenced area with a sly smile on his face while tipping his hat to the three guards (Grenadier) with one hand, and holding something in the other. As the man enters through the gate the guard on his left is looking away over his shoulder while one hand is extended with palms up as if to present the man. The guard on the man's right stands with both arms crossed, rifle positioned on one shoulder, and an incredulous look on his face, while the third guard stands next to him appearing to clap his hands joyously as the man enters into the gate. The second painting appears to depict a French Colonial Moroccan? soldier, apparently tired of his service with the French military, and definitely not believing in the cause. He sits on the bank of a river, his military cap hangs from the branch of a tree overhead. With his hand made pipe in his mouth, and a dejected look on his face, he holds in one hand, a branch tied with his white under ware as a flag to surrender to anyone passing by, while relieving his aching feet in the cool blue water. I date these painting from the
2nd Empire (1852 - 1870) and perhaps from the unpopular Franco German
war where, in 1870 Napoleon III surrendered to the Prussian king William
I at the battle of Sedan. Disgusted by their disgrace, many French
troops turned their backs on Napoleon and when the news reached Paris, a popular uprising overthrew
Napoleon III Second Empire, and the Third Republic was born.
The top border on the right has a painted bearded alpine? man, a noble lady in the center and a young buxom peasant woman carrying a sack on her back on the left side. The bottom boarder has the motif of a German? soldier marching with a drum and symbol and on the opposite end another is playing a cello. The
legend below the painting is written in an old stylized french alphabet
that I have tried unsuccessfully to translate. These