colour drawing of the transport of Russian and British prisoners-of-war in the aftermath of the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland in 1799. As part of the War of the Second Coalition, an expeditionary force of British and Russian troops invaded North Holland in the Batavian Republic, the Dutch state established by and allied with the French Republic. After 5 weeks of fighting against a combined army of Batavian and French forces, the badly supplied Anglo-Russian army capitulated and was able to negotiate a strategic withdrawal and the exchange of prisoners-of-war.
Together with his father Dirk (1748-1805), Jan Anthonie Langendijk visited the battlefield a few days before the final retreat of the Anglo-Russian troops, as well as other parts of the country where the effects of the campaign were visible, either through the mobilisation of the armies or the presence of prisoners-of-war. Both artists produced drawings of battles fought during the campaign (at which they had not been present), as well as scenes of the aftermath (at which they might have been present). Several of these were reproduced as engravings.
The current drawing shows the transport of British (in red coats) and Russian (in green coats and wearing mitre caps) prisoners, escorted by Batavian and French troops. During the campaign, the prisoners were interned in various Dutch cities, even as far from the battlefield as Den Bosch, but most of them were exchanged for Dutch and French prisoners immediately after the hostilities ended. Possibly, the drawing shows the prisoners on their way to be exchanged.
In comparison with other drawings by Langendijk, this drawing appears unfinished. Remains of the original pencil drawing, differing in several parts from the pen-and-watercolour drawing, are clearly visible. The drawing also notably lacks a background. Elements of this drawing might have been used as a study for a larger drawing or engraving, or Langendijk simply abandoned the work. Nevertheless, it gives an interesting view of the transport of prisoners-of-war during the Anglo-Russian invasion of the Batavian Republic in 1799.
Jan Anthonie Langendijk (1780-1818) was a Dutch painter and engraver, known for his depictions of costumes and of battles. During the Napoleonic Wars, he made hundreds of drawings of uniformed soldiers of most of the participating countries, most of which were bought by the future King George IV of Great Britain and are now in the Royal Collection.
With a modern inscription in pencil on the back. With a light crease at the right side and a few spots. For Langendijk: Hazewinkel, "Dirk en Jan Anthonie Langendijk en Christoffel Meijer", Rotterdams jaarboekje 1955, pp. 121-42.