The Convalescent from Waterloo thumbnail 1
The Convalescent from Waterloo thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

The Convalescent from Waterloo

Oil Painting
1822 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This painting takes its subject from the aftermath of the Battle of Waterloo. Although it was reckoned a famous victory, there were huge casualties and many soldiers suffered long afterwards from the effects of their wounds and the primitive surgery of the time. Mulready’s picture had a mixed reception when it was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1822. It was unusual in that it showed the effects of war and not the heroics of battle, the theme of so many other paintings of that era.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Oil Paintings
  • Frames (Furnishings)
TitleThe Convalescent from Waterloo (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
oil on panel
Brief description
'The Convalescent from Waterloo', oil on panel, by William Mulready RA, Great Britain, 1822
Physical description
Oil painting on panel, 'The Convalescent from Waterloo'.
Dimensions
  • Estimate height: 60.5cm
  • Estimate width: 76.9cm
Dimensions taken from Catalogue of British Oil Paintings 1820-1860, Ronald Parkinson, Victoria and Albert Museum, London: HMSO, 1990
Style
Credit line
Bequeathed by John Jones
Object history
Bequeathed by John Jones, 1882

Exhibited at the British Institution, 1826, no.51 (3ft 3" x 3ft 9")
Subjects depicted
Summary
This painting takes its subject from the aftermath of the Battle of Waterloo. Although it was reckoned a famous victory, there were huge casualties and many soldiers suffered long afterwards from the effects of their wounds and the primitive surgery of the time. Mulready’s picture had a mixed reception when it was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1822. It was unusual in that it showed the effects of war and not the heroics of battle, the theme of so many other paintings of that era.
Bibliographic reference
Catalogue of British Oil Paintings 1820-1860, Ronald Parkinson, Victoria and Albert Museum, London: HMSO, 1990, pp. 212-13
Collection
Accession number
506-1882

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Record createdMarch 27, 2003
Record URL
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