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 This
view of the cadets on parade on the plain at West Point
is the earliest scene of the Military Academy, dating to
the period of 1820 or slightly before, and within 20
years of the Academy's founding in 1802. The artist,
Jacques Milbert, visited the United States from France
in 1815 and traveled the Hudson Valley sketching images
of the scenes he witnessed. Other would come to
the valley to do the same, but Milbert was one of the
first. After returning with his drawings to France
in 1823, he worked with publisher Henry Gaugain who used
the latest lithograph techniques of the day to transfer
Milbert's drawings into prints. The series contains some
of the earliest printed views of this part of the
country. Despite the fact that engraving of West
Point shown here was printed after John Hill's
engravings of William Guy Wall's watercolors of the
Hudson Valley, which included West Point (IAS-00217),
Milbert's scene actually predates all others of the
Academy, since it was first drawn some time between 1815
and 1820. It is one of the only known period
images to show Long Barracks, the pictured to the
middle-right of the scene, which was the original cadet
barracks used at the Academy as early as its founding
circa 1802. The barracks burned down in 1827,
while Milbert was in France preparing the publication of
his folio. Most fantastic about this scene is its
bustling activity. Rows of cadets are parading in
much the same way, on the very same ground, where they
parade today, nearly 200 years later. Spectators
watch from the sidelines, each of which are small cameos
of life in the day--a man and a dog, a man riding a
horse, people talking, a young man and woman sitting,
and military officers on horseback. Also
extraordinary is the enormous flagpole and American flag
located in the far corner of The Plain. At its
base, we see people and a man on horseback, which gives
some perspective to the imposing flag, which must have
been visible for miles up and down the Hudson River. |
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The earliest image of cadets on
parade at the United States Military
Academy, drawn some time before 1820 and
printed between 1828-1829. |
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Media: Lithograph on Paper
Dates: 1828-1829War: None
Type: Print
Catalog Number: IAS-00218 |
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Next:
West Point from Cold Spring, NY
1825-1850 |
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