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Zouave, 2nd Division

Roger Fenton British
Person in Photograph Person in photograph Roger Fenton British
1855
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.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Zouave, 2nd Division
  • Artist: Roger Fenton (British, 1819–1869)
  • Publisher: Thomas Agnew & Sons, Ltd. (London)
  • Person in Photograph: Person in photograph Roger Fenton (British, 1819–1869)
  • Date: 1855
  • Medium: Salted paper print from collodion glass negative
  • Dimensions: Image: 7 5/8 × 6 7/16 in. (19.4 × 16.4 cm)
    Mount: 23 5/8 × 17 1/4 in. (60 × 43.8 cm)
  • Classification: Photographs
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Alfred Stieglitz Society Gifts, 2015
  • Object Number: 2015.41
  • Curatorial Department: Photographs

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On the Beach, Hythe
Roger Fenton
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Cossack Bay, Balaklava, Roger Fenton British, Salted paper print from glass negative
Cossack Bay, Balaklava
Roger Fenton
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Laughing Satyr, Roger Fenton British, Salted paper print from glass negative
Laughing Satyr
Roger Fenton
1854–58
Birth of St. John, Roger Fenton British, Albumen silver print
Birth of St. John
Roger Fenton
1857
The Temple. Collection of Antiquities, Roger Fenton British, Albumen silver print from glass negative
The Temple. Collection of Antiquities
Roger Fenton
1850s

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