Antoine-Charles-Horace Vernet, called Carle Vernet

Collection of the artist,
his sale, Paris, Hôtel de Boufflers, 5-7 December 1831, lot 18 (as 'Caricature.  Des étrangers, tels que Russes, Anglais, Autrichiens, se rencontrant à la promenade et faisant la conversation');
Monsieur Delestre,
his sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 14 May 1936, lot 113;
Emile E. Wolf, New York, by 1984,
acquired by the present owner in 1988

Providence, Rhode Island School of Design, From the Age of David to the Age of Picasso:  French Drawings from a Private Collection, 1984, no. 54;
New York, Wildenstein, The Arts of France from François I^er to Napoléon I^er:  A Centennial Celebration of Wildenstein's Presence in New York, 2005-2006, no. 165, reproduced

The Forsyth Wickes Collection in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston 1992, p. 144, under no. 94, p. 146 note 2

Laid down. The sheet has discolored and is quite yellow. Some scattered white dots in the upper section of the sheet. Colors remain strong despite the discoloration of sheet. Sold in a carved and gilded frame.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Although Carle Vernet was an accomplished artist in many genres, he is most renowned for his depictions of everyday scenes and sporting life.  He had a keen eye for human behaviour, and clearly delighted in capturing the stereotypes of his time, and highlighting the humourous elements of national characteristics.  The present sheet is a caricatural study of English, Russian and Austrian soldiers and civilians visiting Paris after the defeat of Napoleon in 1815.  The group of figures located second from the left in the present sheet also appears in an engraving in the seventh folio of Vernet's Collection de Costumes with the title 'Les Anglais a Paris.'¹

Another watercolor entitled Oh! C'est Bien Ça!, depicting English tourists in Paris, is known in two versions, one in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston², the other sold in these Rooms in 2011.³

¹ A. Dayot, Carle Vernet, etude sur l'artiste suivie d'un catalogue de l'oeuvre grave et lithographié..., Paris 1925, p. 116. no. 80 (6), reproduced

² Inv. no. 65.2607

³ New York, Sotheby's, 25 January 2011, lot 209