Head of a Fallen Soldier 1847

Jean Victor Schnetz made this drawing, Head of a Fallen Soldier, with graphite and color crayons. The image shows a close-up of a Black soldier’s face in repose. The drawing looks like a quick sketch, perhaps done on the battlefield, with light pencil marks loosely forming the contours of the soldier’s uniform and surroundings. France abolished slavery in 1794, then reinstated it under Napoleon, and finally abolished it again in 1848. This sketch can be seen in the context of the French fight to end slavery and an important study into how racialized Black bodies were received in the French army. The image is of a dead man but his expression is peaceful, which softens the realities of war. Art historians can learn more about the image through the artist's archives, military records from the time, and historical accounts of French battles. The act of seeing the image is contingent on France's social and institutional contexts.