Waardin presenteert drie soldaten de rekening 1830

Nicolas Toussaint Charlet created this print titled 'Waardin presenteert drie soldaten de rekening'—or, 'The Innkeeper Presents the Bill to Three Soldiers'—depicting a scene of military life. It invites us to consider the everyday interactions between soldiers and civilians during times of conflict. Charlet, who had a deep admiration for Napoleon's army, often portrayed soldiers in his art. Here, we see a woman, presumably the innkeeper, handing a bill to a soldier, while two others look on. This moment captures the tension between the soldiers' service and the economic realities of war, suggesting the ways in which military campaigns were financed through local economies. The expressions on the soldiers' faces—ranging from nonchalance to concern—hint at their individual relationships to their duty and its costs. The presence of the woman innkeeper also introduces questions of gender and labor during wartime. By portraying these interactions, Charlet prompts us to consider the emotional and financial toll of military conflict on both soldiers and civilians.