The Shades of French Soldiers from the Past Exhort the Army to Victory on the Rhine c. 1870

Gustave Doré created this drawing, "The Shades of French Soldiers from the Past Exhort the Army to Victory on the Rhine," using brown wash, heightened with white, on paper. Dominating the composition is the interplay between light and shadow. The sepia tones and selective highlights evoke a dreamlike atmosphere, which invites us to consider the symbolic weight of historical memory. Doré masterfully orchestrates the scene, placing ethereal figures atop a hill, set against a landscape featuring a glowing moon and fortress. Here, the spectral soldiers represent France’s military history, urging their present-day counterparts towards victory. The formal structure of the artwork relies on the contrast between the ghostly white figures and the darker, earth-bound soldiers below. The past and present merge, suggesting that national identity is constructed through a dialogue with history. The drawing challenges fixed notions of time by collapsing past and present. This piece invites ongoing interpretation about collective memory and national identity.