A New Dutch Exercise, Isaac Cruikshank, after George Moutard Woodward, 1795
etching, h 341mm × w 477mm More details
The Dutch soldiers and civilians illustrated in these ‘new exercises’ do almost precisely the opposite of what they are told. As an ally, England expected the Republic to help beat back the advancing French Revolutionary Army. But the Dutch seem incapable, or even unwilling, to lift a finger. Instead, they take naps, play cards and go ice-skating whilst puffing on their pipes.
