1st REGIMENT OF HUSSARS FIRST EMPIRE: SOLDIERS OF STRASBOURG CARDBOARD FIGURINE painted in gouache by the WURTZ family, second third of the 19th century, around 1815-1848. 31156-24

1st REGIMENT OF HUSSARS FIRST EMPIRE: SOLDIERS OF STRASBOURG CARDBOARD FIGURINE PAINTED BY THE WURTZ FAMILY, SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY, AROUND 1815-1848. ITEM NUMBER 31156-24

Five cavalrymen, height from the base of the stand to the eyes 10.5 cm.
Mounted on a wooden base.

France.
First half of the 19th century.
Good condition.

PROVENANCE:
Former Wurtz-Pees collection, then Saint-Aubin, and private collection.
Mr. Marcel Saint-Aubin, a collector turned antiquarian between the wars. To my knowledge, no biography or articles have ever been published about this figure who is nonetheless recognized by collectors and often cited in the provenance of historical objects of great quality. Therefore, I will open my archives to shed more light on this great connoisseur:
"Mobilized during the First World War along with his brother in the infantry, the latter was killed at Verdun. Both shared a passion for military memorabilia; they both drew and published their drawings in the magazine 'La Giberne' before 1914.
After the war, he set up as an antiquarian. In 1926, he lived at 108 rue de Ménilmontant (Paris 20ᵉ), far from the typical antique districts. His choice was focused on the specialty that had attracted him for a long time: military curiosities. His first significant find was a Consulate light cavalry officer's saber, which he dubbed his 'lucky charm' and always kept.
The profession of an antiquarian allowed Saint-Aubin to see and possess these cherished objects for a short time. A knowledgeable connoisseur, he never made a wrong purchase, and his clients benefited from his expertise. A passionate researcher, everything he discovered in his life was remarkably diverse. Silent and modest, he had a talent and a manner that left an indelible impression on the enthusiasts who knew him.
Like most military object dealers of that time, Marcel Saint-Aubin did not have a store. He would receive clients in his apartment, where few objects were displayed temporarily. Usually, like Paul Jean, he would fetch the items he wanted to sell from the adjoining room and present them, often without saying a word, with a slight smile, or if the object was truly exceptional, he would simply say without raising his voice, 'It's top-notch...'.
In June 1940, during the occupation, he moved to Guingamp. He returned to Paris and resettled at the end of 1951 in the house he had acquired at 16 rue Henri Pape, in the 13th arrondissement, once again far from the antique districts.
His love for the objects he parted with was evident in the care he took in packaging them. Very skillful with his hands, he protected even the most modest piece perfectly.
Marcel Saint-Aubin passed away at the age of 83, leaving behind the admiration of all who knew him, universally remembered as a man of great moral values."

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
The soldiers of Strasbourg are cardboard figurines, "flat" soldiers, cut from rigid cardboard. In most cases, these soldiers are drawn and then printed on sheets to more easily multiply their numbers.
Christian Blondieau in his work 'Little soldiers of lead, tin, paper, cardboard... 1765-1965 - The collector's guide' Editions Le Képi Rouge Paris 1996, details about cardboard soldiers:
"[...] unlike paper soldiers intended more for youth, often colored in a clumsy manner, the cardboard soldier is designed for adults and provides a guarantee of great uniformological precision, serving as the basis for our modern documentation...
Why do the little soldiers from Alsace stand out? Because they were mostly crafted by eyewitnesses of the period or their descendants, and are often contemporary to the era they depict.
During the wars of the Revolution and the Empire, the inhabitants of Strasbourg (then a garrison town) witnessed a large number of soldiers with colorful uniforms passing through their streets, heading to battle in Germany.
This influx of troops, lasting over fifteen years, inspired some to capture these handsome soldiers 'on the spot'.
Alsacian authors unanimously cite Benjamin Zix (1772-1811) as the precursor of this genre. Leading ahead of Léopold Beyer, the German Geisler, or the Austrian Klein, the Alsatian Zix offers a very realistic portrayal of the soldiers of the time, as a combatant himself, he more often roamed battlefields armed with a pencil rather than a rifle. He became an Army Officer draftsman.
From the peace of 1815 to the war of 1914, Strasbourg artists passed down this need to draw and paint from generation to generation [...]".
During the First Empire, Strasbourg had around 30,000 inhabitants, with a permanent garrison of 6,000 to 10,000 soldiers. Additionally, the city was a transit point for numerous troops of the Revolution and the Grand Army heading to campaigns across the Rhine.
Among these artists for this period, the three most well-known are: Thiébaut Borerst (incorrectly spelled Boersch) (1782-1824), a miller-baker who began drawing around 1800, nephew of the painter Benjamin Zix. His collection was auctioned in Angers on March 10, 1971. His style is likely the most refined that we know of. Eugène Nicollet (1802-1872), who painted his soldiers from 1817 (at 15 years old) for 55 years. His collection is kept at the Museum of Compiègne, with a more naive style. Wurtz, whom we have dedicated a specific paragraph to. Paul Schmidt, whose regimental figurines are annotated on the back with the soldier's name, depicting the soldiers of the National Guard of Strasbourg, among others.
Several other artists worked in the same manner: Frédérik Schmidt (born 1796). Additionally, Édouard Kratz (1803-1885), Schmidt's son (born 1824), Théodore Carl (born 1837)...

WURTZ-PEEZ COLLECTION (Würtz in German spelling):
Wurtz began his documentation under the First Empire thanks to his friend J.P Lévêque, a former surgeon of the Grand Army who had accumulated significant information on Napoleon's armies. He started producing his figurines in 1825 with the help of his son and then Pees, his father-in-law. The production continued under his son, who completed his "Napoleonic" collection with the assistance of his father-in-law around the Second Republic (1850), some of the figurines we present have the date 1848 on the back of the cardboard. These figurines are of exceptional quality. Edward Ryan, in his work "Paper Soldiers: The Illustrated History of Printed Paper Armies of the 18th, 19th & 20th Centuries" (Golden Age Editions, London 1995), writes, "the most precise and comprehensive representation of the troops of the First Empire". Each regiment is represented in all ranks and types of uniforms exhaustively, which is rare in representations of Strasbourg soldiers.
Frédéric Wurtz, the son of Mr. Wurtz, likely supplemented the uniforms he did not observe himself using other documentary sources.
Upon the fall of the Second Empire, Frédéric Wurtz refused to stay in Strasbourg under Prussian occupation and moved to Paris on Boulevard de Clichy, where he operated a pharmacy. Following his death in 1898, most of his collection - nearly 16,000 figurines - was donated to the Museum of the Army on October 1, 1899, by his widow and his son, a senior medical officer; they were exhibited in 1938 and have remained there since.
Expert Christian Blondieau considers Wurtz's style comparable to that of Nicollet and Kratz.