![Roll-call](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Roll-call.JPG)
''Calling the Roll After An Engagement, Crimea'', better known as ''The Roll Call'', is an 1874 oil-on-canvas painting by
Elizabeth Thompson, Lady Butler. It became one of the most celebrated British paintings of the 19th century, but later fell out of critical favour.
The painting depicts a
roll call
''Roll Call'' is a newspaper and website published in Washington, D.C., United States, when the United States Congress is in session, reporting news of legislative and political maneuverings on Capitol Hill, as well as political coverage of ...
of soldiers from the
Grenadier Guards
"Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it."
, colors =
, colors_label =
, march = Slow: " Scipio"
, mascot =
, equipment =
, equipment ...
during the
Crimean War
The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia.
Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...
. It was taken to depict an occasion following the
Battle of Inkerman
The Battle of Inkerman was fought during the Crimean War on 5 November 1854 between the allied armies of Britain and France against the Imperial Russian Army. The battle broke the will of the Russian Army to defeat the allies in the field, an ...
in 1854, but was intended to show a more generic scene from the war. An irregular line of
private soldiers stand in the snow wearing their
greatcoat
A greatcoat, also known as a watchcoat, is a large overcoat that is typically made of wool designed for warmth and protection against the weather. Its collar and cuffs can be turned out to protect the face and hands from cold and rain, and the ...
s and
bearskin
A bearskin is a tall fur cap, usually worn as part of a ceremonial military uniform. Traditionally, the bearskin was the headgear of grenadiers, and remains in use by grenadier and guards regiments in various armies.
Bearskins should not be c ...
s, many clearly exhausted or wounded. One of the privates has slumped forward onto the icy ground. An officer on horseback watches while a sergeant marks his muster roll.
The painting has a highly finished surface, reflecting Thompson's academic training, but she eschewed the traditional pyramidal composition of history paintings focusing on one prominent individual, such as
Benjamin West
Benjamin West, (October 10, 1738 – March 11, 1820) was a British-American artist who painted famous historical scenes such as '' The Death of Nelson'', ''The Death of General Wolfe'', the '' Treaty of Paris'', and '' Benjamin Franklin Drawin ...
's ''
The Death of General Wolfe
''The Death of General Wolfe'' is a 1770 painting by Anglo-American artist Benjamin West, commemorating the 1759 Battle of Quebec, where General James Wolfe died at the moment of victory. The painting, containing vivid suggestions of martyrdom, ...
'' or
John Singleton Copley's ''
The Death of Major Pierson
''The Death of Major Peirson, 6 January 1781'' is a 1783 large oil painting by John Singleton Copley. It depicts the death of Major Francis Peirson at the Battle of Jersey on 6 January 1781.
Background
The Battle of Jersey was the last Frenc ...
'', in favour of a more democratic linear arrangement, emphasising the common soldier. The coldness of the winter is evoked by the dominant tones of black, grey, white and brown, contrasting with small splashes of red from
coatee
A coatee was a type of tight fitting uniform coat or jacket, which was waist length at the front and had short tails behind. The coatee began to replace the long tail coat in western armies at the end of the eighteenth century, but was itself su ...
s and flags. It measures .
History
After having read parts of
Alexander William Kinglake
Alexander William Kinglake (5 August 1809 – 2 January 1891) was an English travel writer and historian.
He was born near Taunton, Somerset, and educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was called to the Bar in 1837, an ...
's ''Invasion of the Crimea'', Thompson painted studies of Crimean veterans in 1873 before working on the larger painting. Thompson—then 26 years old and almost unknown—submitted the painting to the
Royal Academy for exhibition at the
Royal Academy summer exhibition
The Summer Exhibition is an open art exhibition held annually by the Royal Academy in Burlington House, Piccadilly in central London, England, during the months of June, July, and August. The exhibition includes paintings, prints, drawings, s ...
in 1874. The work was received very favourably: the selection committee applauded when it was unveiled and Butler received a standing ovation from fellow artists on varnishing day.
The painting became very popular when it went on show at eye level in the prestigious Gallery Two; Butler wrote that she awoke and "found myself famous".
A policeman was detailed to stand by a railing to keep the crowds back (only the third time this step had been necessary, after
David Wilkie David Wilkie may refer to:
* David Wilkie (artist) (1785–1841), Scottish painter
* David Wilkie (surgeon) (1882–1938), British surgeon, scientist and philanthropist
* David Wilkie (footballer) (1914–2011), Australian rules footballer
* David ...
's ''
The Chelsea Pensioners reading the Waterloo Dispatch
''The Chelsea Pensioners reading the Waterloo Dispatch'', originally entitled ''Chelsea Pensioners Receiving the London Gazette Extraordinary of Thursday, June 22, 1815, Announcing the Battle of Waterloo'', is an oil painting by David Wilkie, co ...
'' in 1822 and
William Powell Frith
William Powell Frith (9 January 1819 – 2 November 1909) was an English painter specialising in genre subjects and panoramic narrative works of life in the Victorian era. He was elected to the Royal Academy in 1853, presenting ''The Sleep ...
's ''
The Derby Day
''The Derby Day'' is a large oil painting showing a panoramic view of The Derby, painted by William Powell Frith over 15 months from 1856 to 1858. It has been described by Christie's as Frith's "undisputed masterpiece" and also "arguably the ...
'' in 1858). Butler's painting was also singled out by
Prince Albert in his speech at the Academy Banquet.
The painting toured the country, attracting large crowds. Artist
William Holman Hunt
William Holman Hunt (2 April 1827 – 7 September 1910) was an English painter and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. His paintings were notable for their great attention to detail, vivid colour, and elaborate symbolis ...
noted in his book ''Pre-Raphaelitism'' that "it touched the nation's heart as few pictures have ever done".
The work had been commissioned for £100 by Charles Galloway, a Manchester industrialist. However,
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...
insisted that she should buy it, and the work remains in the
Royal Collection.
Lady Butler developed a reputation for her military pictures after the favourable reception of this painting. It was followed by a series of military paintings, ''Quatre Bras'' in 1875, and then two more Crimean paintings, ''Balaclava'' and ''Inkermann'', exhibited at the
Fine Art Society
The Fine Art Society is a gallery based in both London and in Edinburgh's New Town (originally Bourne Fine Art, established 1978). The New Bond Street, London gallery closed its doors in August 2018 after being occupied by The Fine Art Society si ...
in 1876 and 1877. These were followed in 1879 by ''
Remnants of an Army'' and in 1881 her most famous work, ''
Scotland Forever!
''Scotland Forever!'' is an 1881 oil painting by Lady Butler depicting the start of the charge of the Royal Scots Greys, a British heavy cavalry regiment that charged with other British heavy cavalry at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The paint ...
''.
In 1879, Butler came within two votes of becoming the first woman to be elected as an Associate Member of the Royal Academy (apart from two founder Members,
Mary Moser
Mary Moser (27 October 1744 – 2 May 1819) was an English painter and one of the most celebrated female artists of 18th-century Britain. One of only two female founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768 (along with Angelica Kauffman), Mose ...
and
Angelica Kauffman; ultimately, the first female Associate Member was
Annie Swynnerton, elected in 1922, and the first full Member was
Laura Knight
Dame Laura Knight ( Johnson; 4 August 1877 – 7 July 1970) was an English artist who worked in oils, watercolours, etching, engraving and drypoint. Knight was a painter in the figurative, realist tradition, who embraced English Impressi ...
in 1936).
In popular culture
The painting is the subject of the first episode of
Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Timothy Gladwell (born 3 September 1963) is an English-born Canadian journalist, author, and public speaker. He has been a staff writer for ''The New Yorker'' since 1996. He has published seven books: '' The Tipping Point: How Little ...
's 2016 podcast, ''
Revisionist History'', in an episode entitled "The Lady Vanishes".
References
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*
*
* In the late 19th century, a painting by a virtually unknown artist took England by storm: ''The Roll Call''. But after that brilliant first effort, the artist all but disappeared.
Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Timothy Gladwell (born 3 September 1963) is an English-born Canadian journalist, author, and public speaker. He has been a staff writer for ''The New Yorker'' since 1996. He has published seven books: '' The Tipping Point: How Little ...
podcast: Revisionist History â€
The Lady Vanishes – Pushkin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roll Call
1874 paintings
Paintings by Elizabeth Thompson
War paintings