The Military Collection recently acquired a wash-drawing by the well-known English artist and illustrator, Richard Caton Woodville (1856-1927). For many years, Woodville served as a senior studio artist for the Illustrated London News, ‘working-up’ sketches that have been sent to the London offices of the paper on the Strand by the various special artists working around the globe. He was know for his dramatic style especially in his many scenes of battles and historical personalities. He was also a professional studio artist and exhibited many military paintings at the leading galleries including the Royal Academy. A search through issues of the Illustrated London News from the 1870’s through World War One reveals countess pictures by the artist. However, his work for the paper ceased in 1921 although he did contribute a scene of the English Civil War in 1925.
The present work was not apparently drawn for the News but Woodville contributed many illustrations to other books and magazines including The Boy’s Own so this image might well have been drawn for it as he was working for this paper in the 1920’s.
In this picture which is a departure from the usual scenes of his death, General James Wolfe has been shot by a French soldier on the Plains of Abraham during the Battle of Quebec in 1759. In the background, the artist has depicted the Citadel of Quebec with a rather unusual high tower, more akin to the Great Tower of Windsor Castle than Quebec! The subject was not new for Woodville as he had dealt with it previously in various publications including British Battles on Land and Sea (1915).