Cependant des soldats dans les murs de Paris... 1825

Horace Vernet created this print, "Cependant des soldats dans les murs de Paris...", sometime in the 19th century. Vernet lived through tumultuous times in France, including the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era, a period of radical social and political upheaval. This print depicts soldiers carrying a wounded man, presumably during a conflict within Paris. The scene is heavy with emotion. The body of the man is limp and vulnerable. The gazes of the surrounding figures, some of whom are averting their eyes, suggest a deep sense of unease and sorrow. It reflects the human cost of conflict, and perhaps invites the viewer to reflect on the human body as a site of pain, resilience, and vulnerability. This image serves not only as a historical record, but also as a meditation on the universal experience of suffering in times of war.