An original 1855 lithograph detailing events from the Crimean War.
This historic print is from the portfolio "The Seat of War in the East" . The artwork was drawn on-site during the Crimean War by combat artist William Simpson, lithographed by Edmund Walker, and printed by Day & Son.
William Simpson’s portfolio tells a chronological story of the British cavalry's campaign in the Crimean War, moving from their first tense standoff to an explosive, chaotic battle.
Because William Simpson was on the ground as the world's first official war artist, these images function like 19th-century documentary photographs, capturing exact unit positions, landscape topography, and real battlefield conditions.
The Cavalry Affair of the Heights of Bulganak — The First Gun, 19th Sepr. 1854"
This print depicts the very first military clash between the British and Russian forces, occurring just days after the Allies landed in the Crimea. It captures a moment of intense, orderly suspense rather than hand-to-hand combat.
In the centre background, the Russian army has occupied the high ridge line. The print captures the exact moment the very first artillery gun of the entire campaign was fired by the Russians. You can see the distant puffs of white cannon smoke rising from the ridge as their guns open fire on the advancing British lines.
In the foreground and middle ground, British cavalry units are drawing up into rigid, disciplined battle formations. On the left, the 11th Hussars and 17th Lancers sit mounted on their horses, waiting for orders. To the right, Captain Maude's detachment of the Royal Artillery is swiftly unlimbering their cannons to return fire.
The scene features an expansive, sweeping view of the barren Crimean countryside under an open sky. It emphasizes the massive scale of the terrain and the calm, geometric precision of European armies deploying for war right before the bloodshed begins.
The text "Paris: Goupil & Cie" indicates that this is an 1855 first edition.
What the Goupil Text Means:
When Paul & Dominic Colnaghi published William Simpson’s Crimean War portfolio in London, they partnered with Goupil & Cie in Paris (and Otto Weigel in Leipzig) to handle continental European distribution.
