Napoleon's Elite Cavalry

Cavalry of the Imperial Guard
1804-1815

Book Review

Reviewed by LTC Gilberto Villahermosa

Author: Paintings by Lucien Rousselot, text by Edward Ryan
Pages: 208 (oversize)
Illustrations: 91 color reproductions of Rousselot's uniform illustrations. (examples appear in color on page 83)
Maps: None
Footnotes: None
Appendices: Three, including Senior Officers of the Guard Cavalry, Other Cavalry Regiments and Units of the Guard, and La Legion d'Honneur. There is also a Glossary and list of Ranks at the beginning of the book. Bibliography: 51 sources in French and English, not including multiple citations from the French military history magazines Carnet de la Sabretache and Tradition.
Index: None
Publisher: Greenhill Books, London
Publication Date: 1999
Binding: Cloth (hardbound)
ISBN: 1-85367-371-4
Price: $100.00
Summary: Napoleon's Elite Cavalry brings together, for the first time, the superb uniform illustrations by renowned French artist and military historian Lucien Rousselot. The book is dedicated to the most prestigious of Napoleon's cavalry regiments, the Imperial Guard cavalry. Edward Ryan, a close friend of Rousselot, is considered a leading authority on military art and uniforms, and provided the accompanying text. Together, Rousselot and Ryan have created a lavish and lasting work of art and reference source.

Lucien Rousselot's paintings, based on exhaustive archival research and actual uniform samples, have been hailed for their unparalleled accuracy and their convincing rendition of the soldiers of the French Army. Rousselot (1900-1992) is considered by many to be the foremost artist and authority on the uniforms and armaments of the French Army. Indeed, he is regarded as the creator of the science of uniformology and considered to be the last of the line of renowned French military painters (which includes Meissonier and Detaille).

It was after joining the prestigious society of "collectors of figurines and friends of military history," La Sabretache, in 1919 that he became increasingly aware that some of his greatly admired predecessors had occasionally relied upon questionable sources for their documentation, including the memories of aging soldiers. In 1925, Rousselot began a systematic search of hundreds of boxes of records in the archives of the French Army. There he found samples of uniform cloth that had never been exposed to the fading effect of sunlight, reports of inspectors general, and more. He soon established a reputation as a leading expert on the design of French uniforms, arms and equipment.

Rousselot is best known for his series of 106 plates on the uniforms, arms and equipment of the French Army. Beginning publication in 1943 and continuing until 1971, the series covered the evolution French uniforms and equipment between 1720 and 1870.

Rousselot's talents go far beyond the technical. His artwork exhibits an unsurpassed and uncanny ability to convincingly portray the cavalry troopers who wore the uniforms. "The calm resolute countenances of these men, with their natural self-assured and graceful postures," observes Ryan, "tell us that they are veterans and masters of their trade. One would have been proud to have been among their number."

Edward Ryan is considered a leading authority on military art and uniforms and an avid collector of paper soldiers. His book Paper Soldiers: The Illustrated History of Printed Paper Armies of the 18th, 19th and 20th Centuries (1995) is considered the standard work on the subject. A naval officer during World War II, Ryan was a personal friend of Rousselot and corresponded with him from the 1960s on. He discovered these uniform plates in the Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection at Brown University. He wrote Rousselot, who responded that he would very much like to see his watercolors published. The fulfillment of that aspiration took ten years, "too late," as Ryan laments, "for my friend to be able to share my gratification at seeing its realization."

The book's price, considered against the 91 magnificent color plates, amounts to about a dollar per plate. (Copies of a single plate from Rousselot's series can cost $10 dollars or more.) Greenhill's book includes a preface detailing the life and accomplishments of the great artist; an introduction providing background information on the origins, development, battle history, and uniforms of the Guard cavalr;, a French-English glossary and table of ranks; and three appendices. Napoleon's Elite Cavalry offers a superb value and is highly recommended for students and scholars of the Napoleonic Wars as well as military historians, artists, wargamers and collectors.

Napoleonic Library

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