
The battlefield of Waterloo started attracting curious tourists before the corpses were even cold in 1815. The Lion's Mound, seen in the background here, was erected in 1820 by the King William I of the Netherlands to commemorate the wounding of his son during the battle. You can see tourists at the base of the lion statue enjoying the view. This photograph was probably taken in the 1870s and mounted on a specially printed card, in English, no doubt by a photographer specialising in the tourist trade. Who is this old man? Is he a visiting British veteran or a local guide? Is he old enough to have been present at the battle itself all those decades ago? I wonder.
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