Soldier in picture ID request

[Magnus K]

Hi,

I wonder if anyone recognizes the uniform and time period in this ink drawing by E. Jouy. It looks like French hussar second half of 19thC? Can anyone confirm that this is indeed the case, and be more specific than that?

Many thanks!

[Magnus K]

Most likely something like this?

[Magnus K]

I’m trying to figure out if the picture was painted by Victor-Joseph Etienne de Jouy (1764-1846). Does the uniform of the soldier in the picture date to before 1846? Not impossible, but would like to have it confirmed. The uniform certainly looks post-Napoleonic.

Etienne de Jouy had an interesting life. Born at Versailles in 1764 he had an early career in the French Army with exotic adventures i South America and India. He returned to France at the outbreak of the Revolution and served with distinction with many wounds. He drew suspicion on himself after refusing to honour a toast to extremist revolutionary Marat, and resigned from the Army after being accused of treasonable contact with England. Thereafter he turned to a successful literary career and married the daughter of Lady Mary Hamilton. I think he signed his books E. Jouy like in the picture. It would also be interesting to know who his friend E. Boucher was.

[Will Mathieson]

With early printing processes some of these are hand coloured prints.
In fact some are taken from antique calendars and framed. Many are framed in the period so you have them in antique frames.

[Mark Cain]

Magnus, it looks like the scabbard in the illustration has only one suspension ring. I believe the French went to a single scabbard ring in 1882, which would likely make this illustration post-1882.

It looks like the shako badge is a hunting horn, which I think would make him a Chasseur . . . so a Chasseur a Cheval or Chasseur D'Afrique of the 1880s, perhaps?

[Magnus K]

Will, on closer inspection it seems it’s a monochrome watercolour painting. Without taking it out of the frame it seems original, and the artist has used water to run in certain parts which I think would be difficult to recreate in a print.

Mark, yes the shako badge is a hunting horn and it seems the scabbard has a single ring. I felt the uniform looked a bit later than 1846 but wasn’t sure. So it must have been painted by E. Jouy Jr. or another E. Jouy! I find the picture itself charming with the relaxed pose of this officer. He seems to have three stripes on his lower sleeves and a case of binoculars under one arm.

[Magnus K]

This shako is for a Chasseur a Cheval 1880s which looks about right.