The use of Photography to document war and conflict in the 19th Century.
Roger Fenton
How he came about Photography.
Roger Fenton became interested in Photography when in Paris practicing his painting and learning from other artist, such as his painting teacher called Paul Delaroche.
He has studied many jobs, for example he was a solicitor for many years, before changing his career to photography. His main love of painting was never disregarded throughout the years and he produce some paintings, which he named 'the letter to mama; what shall we write' and ' Hush lightly tread, still tranquillity she sleeps'.
He became interested in photography when practicing with the facilities of multiple printing offers by calotype.
The step forward came in 1847 when twelve interested photographers came together to form a group called 'Photographic club'. Then in 1851 the Great Exhibition was showed, which allowed an opportunity for photography to be noticed. Photography attracted people from around the world to witness photographers work from Europe and United States. This was the first record of the major photography exhibition done.
Roger Fenton War Documentation - His Photography Van.
In 1855, Roger Fenton was commissioned to go to the Crimean War as a war photographer, to photograph all the situations that were there. He was commissioned by a print dealer, who used almost all of the 350 large format negative produced by Roger Fenton. He put the prints on show in London, but they weren't as successful as the dealer would like them to be. When Fenton went to the Crimean War, he took with him his assistant Marcus Sparling, two slaves and a large van which carried all of his process equipment which he used to create his work.
Roger had built in his Van from a converted horse drawn wine merchant van which he then made into a portable mobile darkroom where he would process his photographs.
In his van he would have many chests consisting of many unique equipment, these include chemicals, lenses, cameras, printing frames, gutta-percha baths and dishes, a few carpenters tools and plates which were put into glass cases for more security when traveling from area to area.
He would travel around the different places in the War and document all the horrific scenes which the newspapers would hide away from the public.
His works consist of images such as.....
The Tombs of the Generals on Cathcart's Hill; a man standing at the grave of Brigadier General Thomas Leigh Goldie, who was killed in action at the Battle of Inkerman.
The Mamelon & the Malakof from the front of the Mortal Batteries.
The old Genoese Castle at Balaklava, from above the castle pier
Captain Bernard, 5th Dragoon Guards, seated on a horse with 'V DG' on bags
Group of the 47th Regiment in Winter dress, ready for the trenches
Roger Fenton as a War Photographer
Roger Fenton recorded his War Photography in 1855 at the Crimean War, his work consists of posed portraits or immobile senses. He wouldn't focus his images on death as his worked was being watched by the authorities, this is so Roger Fenton doesn't show the public the truth that was going on in the trenches and the truth about the war. In his war documentation he based a lot of his work on the allied armies and how the lived in the campsites, but he mostly recorded landscapes, which lead to one of his most famous photographs called ' The Valley of the Shadow of Death'. This shows how the rough track which is covered in cannonballs and has no signs of humans.
'The Valley of the Shadow of Death'.
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