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Primary sourcePainting1 November 1798

The Effects of British Valour on the French Directory

Thomas Rowlandson · 1 November 1798

A British satirical caricature mocking the French Directory, the government Sieyès later helped overthrow.

Satirizes the Directory government that Sieyès helped overthrow soon after in the Coup of 18 Brumaire.

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Hand-colored caricature print titled 'The Effects of British Valour on the French Directory'. Five seated or standing figures in French revolutionary-era dress react to news; a cartoon figure at left gestures with raised arms, and speech scrolls and banners read 'Nelson at the Nile', 'Abercrombie', 'Le Hoche' and 'Letters from Egypt'. Caption printed along the bottom margin.
Thomas Rowlandson, The Effects of British Valour on the French Directory, 1798. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this source

What it is

This hand-colored etching and aquatint by Thomas Rowlandson, dated November 1798 and held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, satirizes the French Directory. It shows five figures in revolutionary-era dress reacting with alarm to news of British military successes, named in banners such as 'Nelson at the Nile' and 'Abercrombie'.

Why it matters

The Directory was the French government that Sieyès eventually grew dissatisfied with and helped bring down in the Coup of 18 Brumaire. British caricatures like this one mocked French setbacks during the wars of the period, showing how the Directory's weaknesses were viewed abroad, weaknesses that fed into the political crisis Sieyès later acted on.

Look closer

  • Why might a British artist want to mock the French government's reaction to military defeats?
  • What do the exaggerated gestures and expressions tell you about the artist's intent?
  • How might this image differ from how French officials saw the same events?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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