HIST 215 Research Project

By kvansteenburgh

  • Equestrian Portrait of Pieter Schout

    Equestrian Portrait of Pieter Schout
    Pieter Schout commissioned this portrait, painted by Dutch artist Anthony van Dyck. He was a twenty year old lawyer with high ambitions. Both Schout and his horse are lavishly outfitted, and both a sword and pistol are by the rider's side. It is an example of equestrian portraits which were popular in the 17th century. It invokes imagery of prestige and power, as these portraits served themselves as a form of propaganda (especially those commissioned by royals during war to seem powerful).

  • Decree from King Louis XIV

    Decree from King Louis XIV
    This decree announces the re-establishment of the state sponsored stud system for horse breeding in France. The system allowed the monarchy to privately control all horse breeding. It explicitly favoured nobles, as the king says stallions will be distributed among nobility. It served interests of prominent riding classes and horsemen. Private stallions were allowed to breed only if they were state-approved. The French Revolution would remove this system in 1790 as it was considered elitist.

  • Horse Frightened by a Thunderstorm

    Horse Frightened by a Thunderstorm
    This painting by Eugene Delacroix shows a white horse rearing during a thunderstorm. It conveys terror and panic in the horse, set against an ominous dark sky. Delacroix, a Romantic painter, was famous for his expressive brushstrokes and vivid use of colour. Romantics often painted animals at times of distress (as seen here) and saw riderless horses as a sort of symbol for the movement; wildness was a theme of the era, and horses captured that. Romanticism was based in expressing freedom.

  • WWI Recruitment Poster

    WWI Recruitment Poster
    This is an example of a propaganda poster. These were distributed on both sides of the fight in both WWI and WW2. This poster is British, and was published before Britain switched to conscription in 1916. It shows a young man bravely charging forward on his horse, with the words "Forward to Victory!" and "Enlist Now". It is promising young men victory and glory if they enlist, using a horse to show that power and heroism they are being told of. In reality, most men would be foot soldiers.