Roger Fenton's Crimean War photography

[MadArchitect]

In another thread I suggested that one appropriate use for the new Arts forum would be the discussion of photography that we find online. Between that and the Errol Morris blog I linked to in the blog thread on obviousness, I'm developing a minor interest in the work of Roger Fenton, one of the early pioneers of photography.

See what you think. Here is a link to The Library of Congress collection of Fenton's Crimean war photography. Click on "View all images" to see the full collection. The landscapes are very stark, and the prints, naturally, have an antique air to them, but there's something evocative about the positioning of the figures and the choice of subject matter. (I'm also reminded of the portions of E.L. Doctorow's "The March" that dealt with a travelling photography laboratory.)

A little hint: You can get a better look by clicking on the link for uncompressed TIFF images provided on most pages.

Some early favorites: The tombs of the generals on Cathcart's hill; Captain Lord Balgonie, Grenadier Guards; General Bosquet giving orders to his staff; The sanitary commission; A Zouave; Officers of the 88th Regiment; Group of Croats; Lieutenant General Pennefather, C.B.; General view of Balaklava, the hospital on the right.