"Minette receiving the 'Cross of the Legion'." — Phiz's twenty-ninth engraving for Lever's "Tom Burke of 'Ours'," Chapter LVII, "The Return of the Wounded" (February 1844)

Minette receiving the "Cross of the Legion" (facing p. 62 in vol. 2 of the 1844 edition, p. 105 in vol. 2 of the 1869 edition), horizontally-mounted, 9.3 cm high by 15.2 cm wide, (3 ⅝ by 6 inches), vignetted steel illustration for Charles Lever's Tom Burke of "Ours,", Chapter LVII, "The Return of the Wounded" (February 1844), in the William Curry, Jun. two-volume edition (Dublin, 1844); Chapter XIII in the second volume of the Chapman and Hall edition (London, 1869). [Click on the image to enlarge it; mouse over links.]

The Emperor publicly rewards Minette's valour with the Grand-croix

“Give the order for the vivandière to advance.”

Scarce were the words spoken, when the sound of a horse pressed to his speed was heard, and mounted upon a small but showy Arab, a present from the regiment, Minette rode up, in the bloom of health, and flushed by exercise and the excitement of the moment. I never saw her look so handsome. Reining in her horse short, as she came in front of the Emperor, the animal reared up, almost straight, and pawed the air with his forelegs; while she, with all the composure in life, raised her hand to her cap, and saluted the Emperor with an action the most easy and graceful.

“Thou hast some yonder,” said Pioche, with a grim smile at the staff, “would be sore puzzled to keep their saddles as well.”

“Minette,” said the Emperor, while he gazed on her handsome features with evident pleasure, “your name is well known to me for many actions of kindness and self-devotion. Wear this cross of the Legion of Honour; you will not value it the less that until now it has been only worn by me. Whenever you find one worthy to be your husband, Minette, I will charge myself with the dowry.”

“Oh, Sire!” said the trembling girl, as she pressed the Emperor's fingers to her lips, — “oh, Sire, is this real?”

“Yes, parbleu!” said Pioche, wiping a large tear from his eye as he spoke; “he can make thee be a man, and make me feel like a girl.” [Chapter LVII, "The Return of the Wounded," facing p. 62 in the second volume of the 1844 edition, and p. 105 of the 1869 edition]

Commentary: The Soldiers' Napoleon, Not the Master Political Strategist

This is the fourth and penultimate serial illustration featuring Napoleon, this time as "The Emperor of the French" rather than merely "The First Consul of the Republic," although Phiz depicts him in his military uniform and on horseback, inspecting the troops rather than overtly playing a political or diplomatic role. This is the grand commander to whom Tom has dedicated himself, and not the devious military dictator that Tom's Bourbonist friend, the Chevalier Duchesne, has described. Napoleon has apparently arranged the gorgeous military review to coincide with the return of the maimed and wounded from the field of Austerlitz, so that the adoring crowds at the ordre du jour from the Tuileries to the Barrière de l'Etoile along the Champs Elysées will cry Vive l'Empereur! as they enjoy the military spectacle and thundering cannon of the Invalides, and fail to consider the human costs of such a victory.

Duchesne has gradually stripped Tom of his illusions about Napoleon, whom he now describes as "imperious" (101) as he gazes at the crowd that fill the courtyard of the palace, seen in the background in Phiz's illustration. Tom has apparently already forgotten the affair of Duchesne's degradation for flippancy during the parade, and his loss of èlite privilege. All ten thousand sets of eyes present are trained on martial figure on the white horse, centre, as he inspects the cavalry formed into squadrons as the waggon-loads of wounded appear to the jubilant shouting of their active-duty comrades and the old Republican generals (right). The sad train have now passed off as the cuirassiers of the Guard (left rear) enter, with Pioche on the driving-seat of a great gun (left, behind Minette). As a favour to the old corporal, Napoleon, laughing in the text but serious in the illustration, now promotes the regimental vivandière with the cross of the legion for her courage at Adige and Marengo. Indeed, in the illustration he has just given Minette his own!

The Four Other Napoleon Illustrations in the 1843-44 Novel

11. Tom distinguishes himself. Facing page 157 in Chapter XXI, "The 'École Militaire'." (June 1843)
19. Napoleon shews Tom the door. Facing page 281 in Chapter XXXIX, "A Morning at 'The Tuileries'." (October 1843)
20. The Scene shifted. Facing page 299 in Chapter XL, "A Night in the Tuileries Gardens." (November 1843)
25. Frontispiece for Vol. Two: A Parting Scene with Napoleon. Facing title page (September 1844) from Part 20.

Further Information

Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]

Bibliography

Buchanan-Brown, John. Phiz! Illustrator of Dickens' World. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1978.

Lester, Valerie Browne Lester. Chapter 11: "'Give Me Back the Freshness of the Morning!'" Phiz! The Man Who Drew Dickens. London: Chatto and Windus, 2004. Pp. 108-127.

Lever, Charles. Tom Burke of "Ours." Dublin: William Curry, Jun., 1844. Illustrated by H. K. Browne. London: Chapman and Hall, 1865. Serialised February 1843 through September 1844. 2 vols.

Lever, Charles. Tom Burke of "Ours." Illustrated by Phiz [Hablột Knight Browne]. Vol. I and II. In two volumes. Project Gutenberg. Last Updated: 24 February 2021.

Steig, Michael. Chapter Four: "Dombey and Son: Iconography of Social and Sexual Satire." Dickens and Phiz. Bloomington: Indiana U. P., 1978. Pp. 86-112.

Stevenson, Lionel. Dr. Quicksilver: The Life of Charles Lever. London: Chapman and Hall, 1939.

_______. "The Domestic Scene." The English Novel: A Panorama. Cambridge, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin and Riverside, 1960.

Created 15 November 2023