Escape of French Prisoners

The Escape of French Prisoners depicts a scene from the Napoleonic Wars that was a recurring subject in English popular culture: French prisoners of war escaping from British custody, and the British authorities pursuing them. The subject allowed Rowlandson to combine his talent for action scenes with his instinct for comedy — the escape, the pursuit, and the inevitable capture (or recapture) provided a narrative structure that his rapid line and energetic composition were ideally suited to depict. The watercolor wash adds atmosphere to the pen-and-ink structure, producing a scene that is simultaneously dramatic and humorous.

French prisoners of war were a common sight in Georgian England — they were housed in prisons, parole towns, and prison ships, and their escapes (successful and unsuccessful) were a staple of popular entertainment. Rowlandson's drawing participates in the popular culture of wartime England, where the enemy was both feared and satirized, and where escape narratives provided a form of entertainment that combined adventure with patriotism.

Escape of French Prisoners is Rowlandson treating war as comedy — not because war is funny, but because the escape-and-pursuit narrative is inherently dramatic, and Rowlandson's instinct for physical comedy transforms it into entertainment. The result is a drawing that is simultaneously patriotic and humane.