French caricature of British forced enlistment. Napoleonic Wars c1815

ANONYMOUS [Napoleonic Wars, French satire]. La Presse Anglaise, ou l'Enrolement Force. French caricature of British forced enlistment. Paris: chez Noel, [c.1815].

Hand-coloured print. Single sheet, 410 x 265 mm, with generous margins. Small tear at the centre of the lower edge, confined to the blank margin. Light scattered spotting and minor traces of former mounting at the corners. Pencil annotation "fevrier 1815" in the upper margin. Otherwise very good, with attractive colouring.

A French caricature of British forced enlistment, showing a bewildered countryman brought before a seated official in a wig, his leg resting on a footstool. A smartly dressed military officer stands beside the prospective recruit, while a woman weeps and two men carrying staves stand behind the couple.

The print mocks British recruiting practices through the contrast between the comfortable official, the elegant officer and the distressed country couple. Beneath the title is the claim "Dessine d'apres nature a Londres", presenting the scene as drawn from life in London.