[Self-Portrait]
In an improvised studio with overhead drapery to control the light, the thirty-two-year-old Fenton struck a jaunty pose for this self-portrait. Perhaps timing the exposure, he set his open pocket watch on the book in his hands. This is among Fenton's earliest photographs.
In the decade that followed, he became the most celebrated and influential photographer in England, excelling in every genre of photography: majestic architectural views of England's stately homes and ruined abbeys, Romantic depictions of the countryside, moving reportage of the Crimean War, intimate portraits of Queen Victoria and her family, enchanting Orientalist tableaux, and astonishingly lush still lifes.
In the decade that followed, he became the most celebrated and influential photographer in England, excelling in every genre of photography: majestic architectural views of England's stately homes and ruined abbeys, Romantic depictions of the countryside, moving reportage of the Crimean War, intimate portraits of Queen Victoria and her family, enchanting Orientalist tableaux, and astonishingly lush still lifes.
Artwork Details
- Title: [Self-Portrait]
- Artist: Roger Fenton (British, 1819–1869)
- Date: February 1852
- Medium: Albumen silver print from glass negative
- Dimensions: Image: 12.2 x 9 cm (4 13/16 x 3 9/16 in.)
- Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Gilman Collection, Purchase, Harriette and Noel Levine Gift, 2005
- Object Number: 2005.100.285
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Roger Fenton
1860
Roger Fenton
1855
Roger Fenton
1854–58
Roger Fenton
1857
Roger Fenton
1850s
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.