Soldaat 1898

William Nicholson made this woodcut, Soldaat, at an unknown date. The image portrays a mounted soldier in ceremonial dress, likely a guardsman. This work prompts us to consider the politics of imagery. What does it mean to portray military figures? Nicholson was part of a fin-de-siècle artistic culture fascinated by the power and spectacle of the British Empire. He also produced propaganda posters during the First World War, reflecting the complex relationship between artists and institutions of power. Notice the soldier's proud bearing, his ornate uniform, and the suggestion of a royal building in the background. Further research into Nicholson's wider body of work, and the social history of the British military, would reveal the artist's evolving attitudes to military service and empire. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.