I have owned this lovely little book, the 1878 edition, since the mid 1970's having initially been drawn to it as it contains some wonderful little fold out maps of the Duke's military campaigns. As a child living in Surrey, England I was always curious as to why our London central railway station was called Waterloo and why so many of the streets near our home were called Waterloo Place or Road etc. This curiosity introduced me to life long interest in military history, and in particular the Napoleonic wars.
This book is very readable and informative and fairly bounces along. Most of the Duke's life is well documented but it was interesting to read assessments of his character by his contemporaries.
As to his immense success, he was described as having "an iron hardihood of body, a quick and sure vision, a grasping mind, untiring power of thought and the habit of laborious, minute investigation and arrangement ... and that most rare faculty of coming to prompt and sure conclusions on sudden emergencies".
In addition to his success as a military figure, he was also twice Prime Minister of Great Britain. We could do with someone of his calibre now!
For my artwork, I ventured into uncharted territory with white Indian ink, acrylic paints and a Gelli Plate.
The profile of the Duke is based on an 1822 sketch made at a dinner party he was attending. The background represents the colours of the armies, the explosions during battle and the regimented ranks of soldiers forming square (top left).
Thank you for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment. I do appreciate them all. I state in advance that my next book will NOT be military history!
Wow, a fabulous background I can picture the battle ground beneath a sky like that. The sketch is wonderful too. Brilliant stuff.
ReplyDeleteJen x
That is a wonderful piece of art Janet! Totally gives off a feel of battle. And what a fabulous description of this latter-day super hero :D XXX
ReplyDeleteThis is gorgeous,love the background and fabulous sketch.xxx
ReplyDeleteThe first thing I thought when I saw the profile was, Explosions!, even before I read your description. A rigid man surrounded by battle, indeed.
ReplyDeleteYour artwork is amazing, love it! And I'm glad you found the book interesting and not too difficult a read as some older books can be....
ReplyDeletePowerful Art! ♥ Yay, too bad it's a man... ;)
ReplyDeletePfew, so glad I don't have to add another book to my list this review... :)
Great review, Janet...you made a book about military history sound interesting. We could use someone like the Duke to be president of our United States...he'd certainly be better than who we have!! As for your art, it's wonderful...amazing background and love the technique with white india ink!!
ReplyDeleteActually, Janet, I have grown quite fond of your military histories. It's how I learn , especially in areas I'm not familiar with. I actually knew a bit about the Duke from reading about Waterloo. But that didn't diminish my enjoyment of this review.
ReplyDeleteYour art is superb. There is such depth and meaning in this piece. It really spoke to me.
Sounds intensely interesting! This is not a genre I generally fancy, but I can easily make an exception for a grand character as the 1st Duke of Wellington. I can't believe the vintage edition you have in your collection. I would have been reluctant to handle it without gloves. Thank you for a bit of a history lesson and gorgeous artwork!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely little book! Your review is so lively and positive. I do know a little bit about the Duke of Wellington because I've studied Byron, but my knowledge is not great! I love your art work. What an interesting way to use a gelli plate and that white profile is so effective! You are such a talented artist and your reviews are so interesting. Julie Ann xx
ReplyDeleteJanet, your gelli plate art is fantastic. I don't have any of the plates so I am enjoying seeing what other folks are producing with them. White India ink is a new product to me. I love how it looks.
ReplyDeleteYour artwork is outstanding, a great background and so effective with the portrait in white.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that the book was written by a woman when it was published in 1878.
I too love the Napoleonic wars period, particularly the Peninsular war period.
Enjoyed reading this so much.
Sounds like an interesting book and I love your art for it. Gorgeous profile. :)
ReplyDeleteYour old book reminds me of several we found in my mother's things when we were sorting out after her death. Many of them had been her mother's. Fascinating to delve into them.
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