French Uniforms of the Peninsular War, 1808-1814

Pierre Albert Leroux painted a folio of watercolours depicting the uniforms of Napoleon’s army in the Peninsular War. Pierre Albert Leroux’s Les Français en Espagne showcases those images with historical commentary on the units they depict and features the completion of two of his unfinished sketches.

Many celebrated men and units passed through the ranks of Napoleon’s Armée d’Espagne–from the beau sabreurs of the elite Imperial Guard, to a junior voltigeur officer of the 116e Ligne who would hardly have thought he was destined to become a Marshal of France. The uniforms they wore were just as disparate and fascinating. The discovery of the mysterious ‘El Guil manuscript’ was considered groundbreaking for depicting unorthodox French uniforms with distinct modifications suited for campaigning in Spain. The uniform plates of many artists, including Pierre Leroux, used the manuscript as their primary source. However, the veracity of the manuscript was soon called into question, with some speculating that it was ‘the greatest hoax of the century in terms of uniforms.’ The mystery deepened when the manuscript was revealed to have been lost, and its owner died before he could reveal the truth.

Pierre Albert Leroux’s Les Français en Espagne investigates the greatest mystery in military uniform art and presents Leroux’s uniform plates with commentary on the regimental histories of his subjects. While Leroux’s art captures but a fraction of the hundreds of units that served in the Peninsular War, it brings character to the men who served France and to how they fought, lived, and dressed.