Exhibit:

Military in Jane Austen's Novels

Preview of images

A gallery exhibit showcasing the military, their role, and their impact on the society and world of Jane Austen and her novels. As Jane Austen spent a majority of her life during wartime and had brothers in the military, she was very familiar with how her militia behaved off of the battlefield. Many of the images presented are drawings of genuine military artifacts used by the English Miliary during the Napoleonic, French, and American Revolution wars. Other images are satirical pieces depicted the lives of the English common people during wartime. Regardless, the knowledge and understanding gained from each image gives the reader context into Jane Austen’s life and why she depicted the military in her novels in certain fashions.

Images in this Exhibit

Navy Uniforms of Warrent Officers, Master's mates, and Midshipmen

Uniforms in England in the latter half of the 18th century were different depending on the rank, branch, and status of the men fighting. The picture above depicts the uniforms of a navel warrant officer, master’s mate, and midshipman respectively. These uniforms were dark blue jackets that opened at the front to prevent fading due to sea spray and long days out in the sun. There was no specific unform until around 1817; however, funding was limited so therefore the unform was both rarely enforced, and Sailors were allowed to add buttons or stripes to mark status and wealth (Historical...
The Baker's Rifle: A weapon too manly for women

The British Army Baker Rifle was primarily used in the first fifteen years of the 19th century. It was depicted in the “Regulations for the Exercise of Riflemen and Light Infantry and the Instructions for their Conduct in the Field. This manual was reprinted throughout the Napoleonic Wars and remained the standard rifle firing drill” (Access Heritage). As there were many wars occurring during this time period, it was important to keep track of which guns were used for what purposes. Especially since different militias tended to have different guns due to fighting in different conditions. “...
An examination of the Common Person's thoughts of the English Military

Jane Austen spent most of her life during wartime, being born a bit after the start of the American Revolutionary war and dying about two years after the end of the Napoleonic wars. With England in war for over forty years means the need for war funds was always a priority. This money usually came from the citizens of the country through raised takes. The print depicted was drawn by Charles Williams in retaliation to the British government heavily taxing the people to pay off the government’s debts. In the satirical piece, the common man—John Bull— is giving resisting in Prime Minister...
Classism/Social Class

The etch created by George Cruikshank depicts Miss Tylney long, a young woman who was the sole heir to her fortune that would equal to around 30,000 pounds in the modern day. She is colored gold and is standing on a throne surrounded by suitors wanting her fortune. The inheritance law states that “daughters will not inherit their father’s estate” regardless of if she is an only child or only has sisters (Hall). It is for this reason that daughters must marry for status rather than for love.

Men have a similar conundrum that differs slightly depending on their birth order. If he is...
Military Rank: How a man's class determined how powerful he could become

Lt. Col Thomas Braddyll drew the following image in the first decade of the 19th century. The goal was to study Napoleon through visualization of a fable entitled “The Ass in the Lion’s Skin,” in which the overall lesson dictates that words and actions are louder than appearances. In this image, Napoleon is the ass covered in lion’s skin with long ears has a military collar and stock, and with officers ram him with spears. This is to demonstrate how the people were tired of the war and unbelieving of Napoleon’s promises that he had or would continue to make until the war ended.

Jane...