Chelsea Pensioners Reading the News of Waterloo; Verso: Figures at a Washtub and Man on Horseback
Artist
Sir David Wilkie
(Pitlessie, Fife, Scotland, 1785 - 1841)
Mediumpen and ink on paper
ClassificationsPaintings And Drawings
DimensionsOverall: Height: 15.8 cm, Width: 24.5 cm
Frame: Height: 40.8 cm, Width: 55.9 cm
Frame: Height: 40.8 cm, Width: 55.9 cm
AcquisitionPurchased in 1959.
CopyrightOut of copyright - CC0
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDAG003539
About Me'The Chelsea Pensioners Reading the Waterloo Dispatch,' 1822 (Aspley House) is considered to be Wilkie's masterpiece. The work was commissioned by the Duke of Wellington in 1816, who asked Wilkie to paint a 'parcel of old soldiers assembled together on their seats at the door of a public house chewing tobacco and talking over their old stories.' Wilkie decided to give the painting its theme as a celebration of the final victory that closed the Napoleonic Wars in order to express his admiration for his patron.'The Chelsea Pensioners' was the first painting for which a barrier was erected at the Royal Academy to prevent crowds crushing into it in their excitement.
More About Me
When the oil painting which followed this study was first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1822, it was the first time that rails had to be installed to keep away the crowds
