Uniforms of the civil guard in Courtray, Belgium

Art Historical Context

Auguste Raffet’s 1832 drawing captures the crisp uniforms of the Civil Guard in Courtray (modern-day Kortrijk), Belgium, just after the country’s independence from the Netherlands. Executed in black chalk and watercolor on paper, the sheet measures roughly 11 by 8 inches and belongs to the Metropolitan Museum’s Department of Drawings and Prints. Raffet, a French artist celebrated for his precise military imagery, used delicate washes of color and fine chalk lines to record every button, epaulet, and stripe with documentary clarity. Created during a period of political reorganization in newly independent Belgium, the study reflects the importance of civic militias in maintaining order and national identity. The Civil Guard, composed largely of local volunteers, adopted distinctive uniforms that blended practical function with symbols of civic pride. Raffet’s careful attention to these details offers today’s viewers a vivid glimpse into the everyday appearance of these citizen-soldiers. As a preparatory or souvenir drawing rather than a finished print, the work demonstrates Raffet’s skill in combining on-the-spot observation with the evocative qualities of watercolor. Its presence in the Met’s collection, a 1993 gift, underscores the enduring value of such intimate studies for understanding both military fashion and the artistic documentation of 19th-century Europe.

About the Artist

Auguste Raffet · 1804–1860

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