'The Soldier's Farewell', 1803

Coloured etching by Isaac Cruikshank after George Moutard Woodward (1765-1809), published by Rudolph Ackermann, 12 August 1803.

A soldier in uniform leaves the family home, parting with his wife and children as, outside the house, an army marches off into the distance.

This etching was published in 1803 with text that reflected a soldier's thoughts when leaving for war. It sought to create a patriotic narrative around the renewed conflict with France at a time of high desertion rates. It refers to France's leader, Napoleon Bonaparte, as an enemy that 'threatens the shores of England with his desperate Legions'.

The soldier states that 'I go to preserve my wife and children from abject slavery. Imprint in the minds of my boys, the deeds of their forefathers; teach them the history of Britannia's Heroes'. Among the 'heroes' mentioned in the text is 'Fifth Harry, with a Lion's heart'. Shakespeare's 'Henry V' was among a number of plays staged in 1803 for the benefit of the Patriotic Fund, newly created to help veterans and their families.