The Sculls of Lieut Leppar, & Six of his Men

William Blake after John Gabriel Stedman

National Gallery of Art

Three people are shown in this print, two standing and one kneeling. Surrounding them are poles stuck into the ground topped with human skulls. The person closest to us is kneeling with their back toward us, wearing a dark hat, a dark shirt with a white cloth wrapping across their back, and white pants. One of their arms is extended forward, holding a handkerchief or a glove, while the other holds the end of a long gun or bayonet. On the right, another person stands among the skulls, wearing a dark hat and a jacket that looks like a uniform over white clothes. They are resting their head on their hands, which are balanced on the end of a long gun. This person looks downward with an expression of sadness. On the left, behind the kneeling figure, another person stands, pointing off to the left. This person wears a wide-brimmed hat over curly, shoulder-length hair, and they wear a dark jacket over white clothes and have a long gun or bayonet over one shoulder. Behind these people are low bushes under a white sky with a few light gray clouds. The ground they stand on has a grassy or earthy texture.