Studie van een soldaat en twee kinderen met muziekinstrumenten before 1862

Jules-Robert-Pierre-Joseph Challamel made this drawing of a soldier and two children with musical instruments sometime in the mid-19th century. This intimate scene belies the militarism of the French state at this time. We see a soldier in full dress uniform seated on a bench with two children. One sits on his lap while the other stands before him, as if conducting with a baton. The discarded hat at the soldier’s feet implies a temporary abandonment of military duty. The soldier’s towering headdress emphasizes his authority. The children’s engagement with the soldier suggests a softened image of power and the future generation’s acceptance of the status quo. To understand this image better, one might look at the history of the French military and its role in French society at the time, or at the place of music within domestic life. In this way we appreciate the power of art to offer a subtle commentary on society.