The Spanish Romana Division in Hamburg (1807 - 1808): the Uniform Plates of the Suhr Brothers

These illustrations were published in the 1820s in a book called "Abbildung der Uniformen aller in Hamburg seit den Jahren 1806 bis 1815 einquartirt gewesener Truppen". They were drawn and painted by Christoph and Cornelius Suhr. Only four copies are known to be in existsence. These are from the copy owned by the Commerzbibliothek Hamburg.

"The VIII Corps of the Grand Army, which had been placed under his command, bore an international character that adequately paraded the far-reaching powers of the Emperor of the French: Dutch, Grench, Germans, and even Spaniards and Portuguese, had been attracted to his service."

"In a procession of carts and mules, loaded with their household appliances, dark-haired wives and semi-naked children, the sons of Tajo and Manzanares made their boisterous entry into the Hanseatic City on the Alster. What a grotesque scene! -- these small, vivacious Southerners, with swarthy complexions and coal-black hair, noisy, restless and emotional, resembling a giant horde of wandering gipsies, suddenly broke into the subdued, correct and cultured atmosphere created by the serious, tall, fair-haired North Germans. The memory of these strange guests, who in the northern fogs often wished themselves back under the hot southern sun, and amidst the picturesque disorder of their native land, has been preserved in numerous etchings by Peter Suhr. These strangers from the South, in the streets of Hamburg, or busily at work erecting fortifications, were an unceasing source of amusement to old and young alike, and had to tolerate a good deal of good-natured chaff from the tall Burgergardisten, who appeared like giants beside Gulliver's dwarfs."

"A detachment of infatnry and thirty dragoons from the Princesa, Zamora and El Rey regiments furnished the guard outside the quarters of the Prince of Pontecorvo, who in his native Basque dialect had no difficulty in making himself understood among the Spaniards."

From Friedrich Wencker-Wildberg's Bernadotte: a Biography. London: Jarrolds, 1936. P. 191-192

These drawings originally appeared on line in German by our partner, Napoleon Online and are used with permission of theCommerzbibliothek Hamburg. Please note that Markus Stein holds the copyright on all of these images.

Click on the image to see a larger picture.


Muleteers	Officer Princessa Infantry Regiment Officer Estremadura Horse Artillery Officer Genies and Sappers	Officer Estremadura Artillery Regiment	Soldier and Officer Algarve Cavalry Regiment


Trooper Algarve Cavalry Regiment and His Wife on the March	Troopers Algarve Cavalry Regiment Preparing to Depart	Adjutant & Officer Algarve Cavalry Regiment	Trumpeter of the Carabiniers Villa Viciosa Cavalry Regiment


Trumpetter and Chasseur Villa Viciosa Cavalry Regiment	Trumpeter Villa Viciosa Cavalry Regiment	Soldier Villa Viciosa Cavalry Regiment	Officers Villa ViciosaCavalry Regiment


Soldiers Villa Viciosa Cavalry Regiment	Standard Bearer and Soldier Infante Cavalry Regiment	Soldiers and Trumpeter Infante Cavalry Regiment	Officer Rey Cavalry Regiment & Engineer Officer?


Grenadiers Infantry Guadalaxara	Grenadier Princessa Regiment Grenadier and Sappeur Zamora Regiment Sappeur Guadalaxara Regiment	Soldier Princessa Infantry Regiment Soldiers Guadalaxara Infantry Regiment	Drummajor Princessa Infantry Regiment Drummajor and Musicians Zamora Infantry Regiment


Grenadier and Sappeur Zamora Infantry Regiment	Grenadiers Zamora Infantry Regiment with Rain Apparell	Two Sappers Princessa Infantry Regiment Sapper Asturia Infantry Regiment	Musketeer Asturia Infantry Regiment (Fig. 1) Musketeer Princessa Infantry Regiment (Fig. 2,4,5) Musketeer Guadalaxara Infantry Regiment (Fig. 3)


Drummajor Catalonia Infantry Regiment Musician Princessa Infantry Regiment	Sultress and Musician Catalonia Infantry Regiment	Soldiers and Musician Catalonia Light Infantry Regiment	Soldiers Catalonia Light Infantry Regiment

Barbier, Officer's Servant, and Soldier Barcelona Infantry Regiment (Fig. 1, 2, 3) Soldiers Catalonia Infantry Regiment (Fig. 4, 5)	Musicians and SoldierCatalonia Light Infantry Regiment in Their New Uniform	Officers Barcelona Light Infantry Regiment	Soldier Barcelona Light Infantry Regiment with His Family on the March


Soldier Leaving His Comrades

Placed on the Napoleon Series: December 2007