Roger Fenton in Zouave costume
Photograph
1854-1855 (photographed)
1854-1855 (photographed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Roger Fenton’s self-portrait in Zouave costume indicates the high regard that the British felt for the elite troops called the Zouaves. These were crack infantry units, originally composed of Algerians. They wore a colourful uniform and conducted a high-spirited and rapid form of drill. During the Crimean War, Zouave units served with the French army, allies of the British, against the Russians from 1854 to 1856.
Fenton’s use of Zouave costume and the props of a tin mug and a gun demonstrate his close ties with the military. It also suggests his romantic conception of himself as that new figure of modernity, the war photographer. Fenton’s photographs from the Crimea were made under Royal patronage. They were exhibited and published afterwards by Thomas Agnew & Co. of London. Fenton was later, in 1859, to develop a whole series of ‘Orientalist’ tableaux in his London studio. For these, he perhaps used costumes that he had acquired on his return journey from the Crimea.
Fenton’s use of Zouave costume and the props of a tin mug and a gun demonstrate his close ties with the military. It also suggests his romantic conception of himself as that new figure of modernity, the war photographer. Fenton’s photographs from the Crimea were made under Royal patronage. They were exhibited and published afterwards by Thomas Agnew & Co. of London. Fenton was later, in 1859, to develop a whole series of ‘Orientalist’ tableaux in his London studio. For these, he perhaps used costumes that he had acquired on his return journey from the Crimea.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Roger Fenton in Zouave costume (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Salted paper print from wet collodion on glass negative |
| Brief description | Photograph by Roger Fenton, 'Fenton in Zouave costume'. Crimean, 1855. |
| Physical description | Sepia photograph in which the photographer Roger Fenton is shown seated on a bear-skin rug in a make-shift studio, wearing a dark loose-fitting cape and hat, plus dark trousers and gaiters. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Production type | Unlimited edition |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'Roger Fenton in Zouave costume' (Textual information; English; Below the photograph; handwriting; ink; Fenton, Eva Katharine; 1874) |
| Object history | This is the first photograph in an album titled 'Crimean Photographs / Taken By Roger Fenton / During The War / 1854-55 / Eva Katharine Fenton / Her Book 1874' |
| Production | Reason For Production: Retail |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | Roger Fenton’s self-portrait in Zouave costume indicates the high regard that the British felt for the elite troops called the Zouaves. These were crack infantry units, originally composed of Algerians. They wore a colourful uniform and conducted a high-spirited and rapid form of drill. During the Crimean War, Zouave units served with the French army, allies of the British, against the Russians from 1854 to 1856. Fenton’s use of Zouave costume and the props of a tin mug and a gun demonstrate his close ties with the military. It also suggests his romantic conception of himself as that new figure of modernity, the war photographer. Fenton’s photographs from the Crimea were made under Royal patronage. They were exhibited and published afterwards by Thomas Agnew & Co. of London. Fenton was later, in 1859, to develop a whole series of ‘Orientalist’ tableaux in his London studio. For these, he perhaps used costumes that he had acquired on his return journey from the Crimea. |
| Bibliographic reference | Taken from Photography Department index card catalogue |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | PH.261-1979 |
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| Record created | February 10, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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