Zouave, 2nd Division

Roger Fenton|Thomas Agnew & Sons, Ltd.|Roger Fenton

1855 · Salted paper print from collodion glass negative · Photographs

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.

Artist

Roger Fenton|Thomas Agnew & Sons, Ltd.|Roger Fenton

Date

1855

Medium

Salted paper print from collodion glass negative

Department

Photographs

Credit line

Purchase, Alfred Stieglitz Society Gifts, 2015