Recruits, bound and humiliated, are led off by two grotesque french officers, a third drives them along with his sword. Five famished-looking men have been thrown across the back of a large, clumsy, and scarred horse, where they lie head downwards, screaming. Into the posteriors of the topmost man is thrust a vertical pole, striped like a barber's, and tricolour, which supports a cap of 'liberté'; he says, "i wont be a volunteer foutré". Another man says, "if this is rights of man & french liberty lord have mercy upon us". On the horse's neck sits one of the officers, pointing to his victim and saying, "vive la liberté"; he is grotesquely lean and ragged, but has a large cocked hat with tricolour cockade, long queue and gauntlet gloves, jack-boots and spurs. A similar soldier (right) leads the horse by a halter, a sword in his hand; he looks back fiercely, saying, "come along my brave volunteers, one sous per day in assignats & plenty of water. "
other men are dragged along by ropes attached to the horse; a woman and two ragged children form a chain to pull back a ragged man who is so dragged; he says, "oh mon dieu, my wife & my pauvre famille". Another ragged man has fallen to the ground. Both, though their rags do not cover their nakedness, have some sign of the foppery which english caricature associated with french poverty: one has a ruffled shirt-sleeve (without a shirt), the other's hair is fashionably arranged. Four other men are being driven along behind the horse by the third soldier who says, "come along and share in the glory of france!"; a man on the extreme left says, cowering in terror, "o i do not wish to go to glory so soon". 7 may 1791. Hand-coloured etching. Date: 1793 (see comment for date). Dimensions: Height: 262 mm; Width: 360 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: Johann Friedrich, Count of Struensee. Collection: British Museum. Rights of man alias French liberty alias entering volunteers for the republic (BM 1868,0808.6046)
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