| Accession Number | ART90487 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Art |
| Measurement | Sheet: 20.8 x 27.8 cm |
| Object type | Work on paper |
| Physical description | pen and ink over pencil on paper |
| Maker |
Vasco, Louis |
| Place made | France |
| Date made | 1916 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
[Soldier and tired horse]
Description
Depicts a Colonel of the 17th FC Australian Engineers with his colour patch visible on his right arm. He is dispassionately observing a starved piebald nag, whose eyes are closed. The head of the nag hangs heavily, and a small string hangs from her chin hairs connecting her to a peg in the ground - the pun is that the nag is so exhausted that the merest constraint will keep her safely tethered.
Her tail (which was docked in a previous cartoon in the series) has flies buzzing around it. She stands over a pail of water, and two dogs play in the foreground. All are placed against a desert backdrop.
This engineer is a recurring character in this series. Bespectacled and bearing a look of smooth arrogance on his face, it is possible he is the artist's direct commanding officer.
The 17th FC, which was the company the artist was in, was composed of men from other units of engineers and had the nickname "The Fragments of France".