The Battle of Waterloo: The British Squares Receiving the Charge of the French Cuirassiers

The Battle of Waterloo is executed in oil on canvas, a medium consistent with Philippoteaux's academic history-painting practice. The work measures 99 × 155 cm, giving it a distinctly horizontal format suited to the panoramic cavalry engagement it depicts. The V&A also holds a related preparatory oil sketch on paper laid on canvas, indicating the artist worked out the composition in a related but lighter support before committing to the final canvas.

Stylistically, the painting is characterised as a meticulous academic work, with John Ruskin describing it as a "carefully-studied and skilful battle piece." The composition contrasts the disciplined red-coated British squares on the left with the advancing French cuirassiers in blue on the right, and includes an abandoned cannon in the foreground as a focal anchor.

The painting was commissioned and completed in 1874 by Henri Félix Emmanuel Philippoteaux, as indicated by its dating and medium of oil on canvas.

Its early exhibition history includes display at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 1875 in London. It was subsequently acquired by Francis Reubell Bryan around 1875. Bryan donated the work to the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1880, where it entered the collection as accession number 84-1880. The museum also holds a related oil-on-paper sketch laid on canvas.

The painting is held by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, where it is cataloged under accession number 84-1880. It entered the museum's collection in 1880 as a gift from Francis Reubell Bryan, who likely acquired the work around 1875. The institution also retains a related oil sketch on paper laid on canvas.

Following its acquisition, the work was loaned to English Heritage for display at Apsley House in London. Prior to reaching the museum, the painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 1875 at Burlington House.

Executed in 1874 by French artist Henri Félix Emmanuel Philippoteaux, this work exemplifies the meticulous academic style characteristic of late 19th-century history painting. When exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 1875, the piece garnered specific critical attention from John Ruskin, who praised it as a "carefully-studied and skilful battle piece."

The painting's acquisition history underscores its immediate recognition within British institutional circles. Purchased around 1875 by Francis Reubell Bryan, the work was donated to the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1880, where it remains a key holding. The museum also preserves an associated oil sketch on paper, indicating the artist's detailed preparatory process.

By depicting the 1815 clash between French cuirassiers and British infantry squares with such precision, Philippoteaux solidified his reputation for martial subjects within the broader context of European academic art.

Henri Félix Emmanuel Philippoteaux’s 1874 oil on canvas, titled The Battle of Waterloo: The British Squares Receiving the Charge of the French Cuirassiers, measures roughly 99 by 155 centimetres. The work is part of the collection at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, where it is displayed among other 19th‑century military paintings.