Suffering and Sentiment on Romantic Military Art

Suffering and Sentiment in Romantic Military Art' takes as its focus the image of the dead and wounded soldier in British culture, from the Seven Years War to the close of the Crimean War. Following in the wake of pioneering work by Simon Bainbridge, John Bonehill, Mary Favret and Yuval Harari it presents the first detailed discussion of how suffering and sentiment on and off the battlefield was depicted in a range of visual and verbal media: from paintings and sketches to political prose and anti-war poetry, and from writings on culture and aesthetics to graphic satires and early photographs. The project will result in the publication of a book (Ashgate 2012), a one-day conference and a 'Late at Tate' event, both open to the public, to be held at Tate Britain in 2011.

In a significant departure from previous studies, the particular concern of my research is with the way in which images of death and wounding are used to qualify as well as consolidate ideas of individual and national unanimity. By taking account of the full range of media in this period, the study seeks to redress the notion that suffering was depicted solely as noble or heroic. Whilst classical portraiture and history painting undoubtedly conspired with official ideologies to deflect attention from the true costs of war, such portrayals must be set against works of art, literary as well as visual, which focus on the lot of the common soldier. In bringing this neglected figure to light, the book uncovers a history of changing attitudes to suffering, from mid eighteenth-century ambivalence, through late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century concepts of moral sentiment, to mid-Victorian notions of sympathy. As such, 'Suffering and Sentiment' tells the story of how images of death and wounding both facilitated and queried a shift in the perception of war: from autocratic visions of noble sacrifice to democratic notions of endurance and common cause.

Following an introductory discussion of eighteenth-century attitudes to the military and to the portrayal of war, the first chapter focuses on the depiction of the wounded soldier in Laurence Sterne's 'The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman' (1759-67). It pays particular attention to contemporary illustrations of the novel, which foreground the uneasy connections between military manners, conceptions of masculinity and the links between sexuality and injury. The following chapter discusses the work of the graphic artist Henry Bunbury, described by Walpole as 'a second Hogarth'. Bunbury's 'Affliction' (1783), a print depicting a dead soldier and his grieving wife and child, is examined in the context of English, American and Scottish responses to the wars against America and in terms of debates about charitable relief for the victims of war. In chapter three, attention turns to Joseph Wright's painting 'The Dead Soldier' (1789), a work presenting a provocative conflation of the military and domestic spheres. Drawing on previously unpublished correspondence by Wright and his circle, as well as on poems, prose writings and graphic satires, the chapter locates the painting at the centre of a complex network of liberal, radical and conservative anti-war sentiment. Chapter four pays close attention to artistic and literary responses to the war against revolutionary France. It considers how works by Joseph Wright, James Gillray, Robert Brown and William Hodges responded to a culture of 'military spectacle', offering melancholic uncertainty in place of sublime triumphalism. The final chapters turn to considerations of the changing status of the soldier's body: chapter five addresses the representation of military discipline in a range of prints, paintings and literary works, while chapter six focuses on the depiction of the dead and wounded soldier in medical discourse and imagery. The study's conclusion accounts for the emergence of new forms of sympathy in the literature and art of the Crimea.

'Suffering and Sentiment in Romantic Military Art' raises a number of key questions about the representation of war and its effects on people at specific times and in specific contexts. As such, it will appeal to a broad range of individuals: not just scholars but also members of the public. So as to maximise the impact of my research in the wider community I will organise a one-day conference at Tate Britain on the subject of 'Romantic Military Art' (Autumn 2011). I have good relations with Tate as a result of my collaboration as co-investigator on the Tate/AHRC Major Research Project 'The Sublime Object': http://www.tate.org.uk/research/tateresearch/majorprojects/sublimeobject.htm (due to conclude in July 2010). Tate's head of research, Professor Nigel Llewellyn has already commenced enquiries with the Tate Research Centre British Romanticism Steering Group.

The conference will take as its focus two important works in the Tate collection: John Singleton Copley's 'The Death of Major Peirson' (1783) and J.M.W. Turner's 'The Field of Waterloo' (1818). I am in correspondence with two potential key-note speakers: Dr John Bonehill (a Copley and Wright expert) and Professor Philip Martin (author of a recent essay on Turner's Waterloo painting). Other topics for consideration might include Joseph Wright of Derby's 'The Dead Soldier' (1789), Philip James de Loutherbourg's 'The Attack of the Combined Armies on Valenciennes' (1793) and 'The Battle of the Nile' (1800), military panoramas, graphic satires, military portraiture and medical illustrations. I have experience of organising conferences with Tate (Tate's conference support team is extraordinarily efficient) and am confident that preparation for this event will not impinge significantly on the research that I will conduct during the period of the Fellowship. Through participation in the conference attendees will gain an enhanced awareness of how artistic representations inform the understanding of war and they will also recieve an insight into how perceptions of war change over time.

In addition to academics and students, the conference will appeal to members of the public with a general interest in British culture, the history of war and visual representations. It will promote broad awareness of how artistic representations inform the understanding of war. Tate Britain sends details of its events to thousands of 'Tate Members' via emails, mail and printed brochures. The 'Modernism and the Sublime' conference that I organised in November 2009 attracted 185 delegates, at least 83 of whom were not affiliated in a professional capacity with an HEI.

The impact of the conference on participants will be measured quantitatively, i.e. through ticket sales, and qualitatively using a simple questionnaire. Tate will use this data to inform future practice in organising educational events.

At a date prior to this conference I should also be keen to promote wider understanding of visual representations of war through the organisation of a session at a forthcoming 'Late at Tate' event. Intended for the general public (average attendance is 5,000), 'Late at Tate' provides a perfect opportunity to 'relax with a drink and enjoy exhibitions, performances, music, talks and films on the first Friday of each month. All events at Late at Tate Britain are free, and exhibition entry is half price'. In 'Suffering and Sentiment' I discuss Turner's 'The Field of Waterloo (1818). The 'Late at Tate' session would take the form of an informal talk and 'Q and A' session in front of the painting, and would also provide an opportunity to promote the conference. Members of the public will gain an insight into how Turner challenges noble or heroic perceptions of war.