Military Costumes: Cavalry Man
1816
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1816
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
This is a black-and-white sketch of a man in a fancy military uniform. He’s wearing a tall helmet with a plume, a long dark cape, and high boots. His hands are tucked under his arms, and he stands on a patch of grass with a small tree and a pedestal behind him. The pedestal holds a shallow relief of soldiers marching. The artist focused on the details of the uniform—like the buttons and the way the cape drapes—while keeping the background simple. Check out Romanticism to see how artists like this one used drama and detail to show power.
