When the Royal Academy of Arts opened its 1874 exhibition in London, an exquisite painting by a virtually unknown artist was displayed. Titled “The Roll Call,” the painting details the aftermath of the Battle of Inkerman. By the time the exhibition ended, “The Roll Call” was among Victorian Britain’s esteemed paintings. Elizabeth Thompson (1846–1933), better known by the name Lady Elizabeth Butler, became one of the era’s most famous artists.
The epitome of a Victorian Englishwoman, Butler’s formative years were entirely cosmopolitan. She was born in a Swiss villa in 1846, and spent her formative years in Italy. Together with her siblings—including her sister who gained prominence as the poet Alice Meynell, she received a thorough classical education. Butler attended London’s Female School of Art and trained as a watercolorist from 1866 to 1869.
The Other Side of the Coin
Butler’s “Roll Call” was her second significant depiction of a historical military event. The scene was as poignant for the Victorian public as it was unusual—part of a battalion of the Grenadier Guards in the aftermath of the Crimean War’s Battle of Inkerman.
The Crimean War, which lasted from October 1853 to February 1856, was one of the most important wars during Queen Victoria’s long reign. Fought between the Russian Empire and the victorious Ottoman Empire and its allies (UK, France, and the Kingdom of Sardinia), the war was sparked by Russia’s 1853 invasion. To preserve Ottoman rule and maintain the power balance in Europe, British and French allies landed armies on the Crimean Peninsula in September 1854. Less than two months and three battles later, the British and French isolated the naval base of Sebastopol, where the Russians eventually retreated after their year-long siege.
A Pragmatic Painting
Contrary to the expected iconography of a classical military painting, Butler didn’t highlight a military leader or a notable soldier. The men painted in “The Roll Call” are ordinary soldiers, with the exception of one anonymous officer seated on a horse in the composition’s periphery. She painted the soldiers from the Grenadier Guards battalion, a senior infantry regiment of the British Army. They held a key defensive position against the Imperial Russian army and whose efforts were essential to the Nov. 5, 1854 victory at the Battle of Inkerman. During battle, effective control by the high command was impeded by a heavy fog that left troops to fight on their own initiative, coining the event: “The Soldier’s Battle.”
The composition’s clarity and coloration draw on classicist tradition with Butler’s careful arrangement of the disordered group of soldiers. Her authentic depiction of a real-life scene was unusual prior to the 19th century. Rather than portraying a dramatic battle scene or war hero, Butler painted worn-out and injured men tending to wounds, drinking water, and awaiting rest. Although the Grenadier Guards are clearly battered, their determination and strength of character are just as apparent.
Butler illustrated the soldiers wearing gray winter coats—common in battle—instead of the idealized and regal display of the British infantry’s famous red uniforms. While figures and geographic features are clearly visible, the scene remains true to the actual event and is painted in darker, muted tones.
Even at the center of the composition, no one figure is the focus of attention. Butler’s ability to engage viewers is evident in her careful positioning of elements that lead the eye to travel across the canvas. Positioned left and center, a sergeant with a small cap—rather than the Guards’ tall bearskin hat—takes a roll call of present soldiers. His winter coat is thrown over his shoulder, revealing the red uniform underneath.
Moving to the right of the scene, a hatless soldier rests his head on his comrade’s shoulder while other soldiers are painted with a slinged arm, bandaged head, or are bandaging wounds with scraps from their red coat—all attracting comparable levels of attention. Two flags behind the line of men draw the eye in their direction.
