The Cossack, Gregory Yelloserf 1814

James Ward created this pencil drawing of ‘The Cossack, Gregory Yelloserff’ in England in July 1813. The image tells us a lot about how British society viewed those from other cultures during a time of war. Cossacks were known as fierce warriors from Ukraine and Southern Russia. The Russian army employed Cossacks as irregular military units, in skirmishes and reconnaissance. This image was made shortly after Napoleon's disastrous invasion of Russia. In Britain, Cossacks were seen as heroic figures who helped defeat Napoleon. Ward's drawing romanticizes the Cossack as an exotic and noble warrior through the detail of the Cossack’s uniform. The Cossack’s identity and role in the war is constructed for a British audience. To understand this image fully, we can look at British prints, popular literature, and military records from the time. By understanding the social and historical context, we can see how this image reflects British attitudes towards war, heroism, and foreign cultures.