#george cruikshank

Illustration by George Cruikshank to the Poem : The Lay of St. Cuthbert
from the book ‘The Ingoldsby Legends or Mirth and Marvels by Thomas Ingoldsby, 1865

Old Bumblehead the 18th trying on the Napoleon Boots, or Preparing for the Spanish Campaign, caricature by George Cruikshank, 1823. That’s Napoleon’s son, the Duke of Reichstadt, standing behind Louis XVIII, ready to catch the crown.

Napoleon in America takes place, in part, against the backdrop of a French invasion of Spain. This invasion was not invented for the novel. It actually happened, in 1823, to restore a Spanish Bourbon king to the throne. It was a huge deal at the time, both in Europe and the Americas. Newspapers, diplomatic reports, memoirs and letters of the period are full of commentary on the events leading up to the invasion, the resulting war, and its aftermath. For a very abbreviated account of what transpired, see “The 1823 French Invasion of Spain.”

“The Dandies Coat of Arms,” by George Cruikshank, 1819.