The Charge of the Light Brigade, 1854

This work by the painter Constantin Guys shows the charge of British cavalry in the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War. Doomed to failure due to misunderstandings and poor planning, the charge became famous internationally because of its high casualties. In art, it was turned into a legend by a number of paintings and a poem by Alfred Tennyson.

Constantin Guys (1802–1892), The Charge of the Light Brigade, watercolour, 1854; source: private collection.