My Dissertation is going to look at British attitudes during the Napoleonic Wars, potentially zooming in on attitudes towards Russia or maybe just attitudes in general.
Primary Sources:
For my primary sources I have a variety of graphic satires, or political cartoons as they are more commonly known, and at the moment they all focus on Russia but there is not real shortage of these for the Napoleonic Wars in general. These images served to create stereotypes and usually summed up shared ideas about certain topics, people, countries, or events. For example, many cartoons showed Napoleon himself as a tiny man and that is a view that is still held today.
- Cruickshank, Isaac. “General Swarrow, towing the French Directory into Russia!” jpeg image, British Museum, London, 1799.
- Elmes, William. “General Frost shaveing Little Boney,” jpeg image, University of Washington Library, 1812.
- Holland, William. “A tit bit for a Russian Ambassador!” jpeg image, Library of Congress, Washington D.C., 1803.
- Williams, Charles. “Political Quadrille,” jpeg image, National Portrait Gallery, London, 1806.
For my dissertation I also intend to use various issues of ‘The Times’ and ‘The Morning Chronicle’ as these papers held opposing political views. I have yet to find the exact issues yet but they will likely be from 1812 as this would cover Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, or the War of 1812 in America, and capture the British opinion of such an event. There is alos the potential to use either ‘The Herald’ or ‘The Courier’ for a more Scottish viewpoint.
The final pieces of primary evidence I will be using and contrasting is ‘The Gentleman’s Magazine’ and its sister publication ‘The Lady’s Magazine’. These were monthly periodicals published in London which featured a variety or articles. Again I intend to use these from the months of June-December 1812 to see what the public feeling about the invasion of Russia or the War of 1812 was and how it differed for men and women.
Secondary Sources:
- Feldbaek, Ole. “The Anglo-Russian Rapprochement of 1801,” Scandinavian Journal of History 3 (1978): 205-227. DOI 10.1080/03468757808578936
This article provides a good base point for British relations with Russia at the beginning of the 19th Century and helps to set the scene for the involvement of both nations in the next decade and a half of conflict with Napoleon.
- George, M.D. ” Pictoral Propaganda, 1793-1812: Gillray and Canning,” History 31 (1946): 9-25. https://doi-org.ezproxy-s2.stir.ac.uk/10.1111/j.1468-229X.1946.tb00891.x
This article discusses the use of satirical images as a form of propaganda which is an interesting argument that I could use when analysing some of my own primary source evidence.
- Colley, Linda. Britons: Forging the Nation, 1707-1837.London: Pimlico, 2003.
This book shows the development of British society througout the 18th and early 19th centuries which is a good starting point for me to understand the viewpoints that the newspapers and periodicals are suggesting and give me a bit more context for these events.
- McFarland, E.W. Ireland and Scotland in the Age of Revolution: Planting the Green Bough. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1994.
This book provides a more regional view of attitudes and experiences of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars which could go hand in hand with an examination of ‘The Herald’.
I am still fleshing out my secondary reading as you can see and I need to pick exact issues for my newspapers but this is my starting point for a topic on British attitudes to the Napoleonic Wars.
Do try to be systematic in your reading of periodicals – try to think about using periodicals from across the political spectrum – so Whig, Tory, radical and even Scottish liberal ones (Edinburgh Review is available on our on-line databases) – as well as the religious spectrum (probably almost as important at that time) these are likely to be far more useful than newspapers – while the Times, the Morning Chronicle and the Observer are all important, most reflective articles appeared in the periodical press and most of the famous and influential commentators wrote there
Similarly, the images on databases such as the British Museum or NPG are wonderful – but you need to know something of the politics of the artists (and the ways in which these were published) before making effective use of these.
Thank you for your feedback Ian. This is all very helpful and I will consider some of these things as I continue digging. The Edinburgh Review was actually next on my list of things to look into so perhaps that’s a good sign that I’m moving in the correct direction.