Travelling sappers, from Souvenirs d’Italie: Expédition de Rome 1853

"Travelling Sappers" is a lithograph by French artist Auguste Raffet, depicting a scene of French soldiers during the 1853 Italian expedition. The print is a powerful and detailed image of a group of sappers preparing to advance, creating a sense of anticipation and excitement. This is one of many lithographs by Raffet that were collected as a series titled “Souvenirs d’Italie: Expédition de Rome”. This piece, currently housed in the Art Institute of Chicago, showcases Raffet's skill in capturing the gritty realism of military life, capturing the emotion and physicality of the soldiers in a moment of action.