Zouave, 2nd Division

Roger Fenton British
 Publisher Thomas Agnew & Sons, Ltd.
Person in photograph Roger Fenton British

Not on view

In 1855 Fenton sailed to Balaklava to document Britain’s involvement in the Crimean War. His genre scenes capturing elaborately outfitted soldiers of diverse nationalities provided viewers in England with a vicarious experience of war and satisfied their taste for exotic and picturesque imagery. Here Fenton dons the distinctive uniform of a Zouave, a soldier of the French army in Algeria. He poses audaciously, cocking his rifle while glaring with at an unseen enemy. Although Fenton’s title does not reveal his identity, the slippage between snap shooter and sharp shooter provides a witty subtext to this self-portrait.

Zouave, 2nd Division, Roger Fenton (British, 1819–1869), Salted paper print from collodion glass negative

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Detail

Zouave, 2nd Division, Roger Fenton (British, 1819–1869), Salted paper print from collodion glass negative
Zouave, 2nd Division, Roger Fenton (British, 1819–1869), Salted paper print from collodion glass negative

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