The 19th Century

The Industrial Revolution, otherwise known as the great upheaval1, was a period of Human history, starting in the 19th century and ending in the 20th. It was a period in which such technology as the steam engine, industrialisation, and camera optics were brought to culture, and also where such inventions like locomotion, and the printing of daily newspapers became possible, and common. This lead to an increase in the speed, that information travelled throughout the country of Britain, and other parts of the world. As well as this it was also an era which experienced large, and rising population growths, and the an era where the industrialisation in settlements that were once part of the countryside became more common. It was a time in which the quality of life began to statistically decline for most, after the advent of machines, factories, pollution and the cramping of personal space, in forms of new buildings designed to allow many people to live, in a small area, relatively close to places of work.2

This was also the period in which the British empire, was at its peak. The British controlled much of the worlds countries, the biggest including India, North America, and Australia. Trade was very commonplace between these countries, for example spice trading in India through the East India Company, using the invention of rail, and the fur trade from Canada, via the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC).

The camera, was invented within the era of the industrial revolution. The earliest techniques of camera recording methods, were of the ‘camera obscura’ method, this method involved using a pinhole of light, in a completely otherwise blacked out room, to produce an inverted image of the live outside world, which could then be slowly transferred onto a material, through lengthy ‘sun baking’ exposure. The second method that was used to produce early photographs, included using a pewter plate, coated with bitumen of judea. This is a substance the allowed an image to be ‘baked’ onto the plate by the sun, over a span of several hours.3

The topic that this essay will be researching specifically, will tie in with the last paragraph involving photography, is the use of photography to document war and conflict, during the 19th century. Ever since the advent of photography, when optics became more advanced, war and events began to be documented through the use of photos, instead of illustrations. The first conflict that was documented through the use of a camera, was the Crimean war, (1853-1856), in which Britain and France fought against the Russian empire.

A good example of a photograph documenting battle in this war, and also one that the essay will highlight, is called “The Valley of the Shadow of Death” which was photographed by Roger Fenton, in 1855.4

Figure 1

In this photograph above (figure 1), the photograph depicts a post battle environment, where there are countless cannonballs in the filed of view. This is an interesting early depiction of the documentation of conflict, because it is in stark contrast to today’s war photography. Note how there are no bodies, or any form of gore, or death, apart from the cannonballs, which are static. Whether this is a form of propaganda, or is just simply offering a level of respect to the wounded or deceased involved in this battle, by not including figures involved, is up for debate.5

Due to the advent of the camera, it started to become clear understandably, that traditional war artists were becoming obsolete, paving the way for more accurate war photographers. This change in documentation vastly enabled easier recording, as well as allowing the images to contain more detail, and be more accurate.

Another example of war photography in this era, will again highlight a photo from the crimean war period.

Figure 2

This photo (figure 26) is again a snapshot from the crimean war, taken by Roger Fenton in 1855. It displays five officers from the '90th regiment of foot', posing for the camera near a camp settlement. They are all armed with cutlasses, and there is a dog lying below them.
The way the soldiers are posing, could suggest that the image is a form of propaganda, used in order to boost the morale of soldiers, and supporters of the war.

Figure 3

This figure above is an example of camera technology during the era of the Crimean war. The van in the photograph houses a camera, and is positioned around the area, when required to be used for photographic purposes.

References Used:

1. Hicks, P. (2009) 'The Industrial Revolution'. Pg: 4 London: Wayland.
2. Gregory, J. (2006) 'The Routledge Companion to Britain in the Eighteenth Century 1688 - 1820'. Pg: 428 London: Routledge.
3. Macdonald, G. (1979) Camera: a Victorian Eyewitness. Pg: 10 London: Batsford.
4. Figure 1: “The Valley of the Shadow of Death”, Photographer: Roger Fenton, Tucker, A.W. (2012) War/Photography: Images of Armed Conflict and its Aftermath. Pg: 212 New Haven: Yale University Press.
5.  Tucker, A.W. (2012) War/Photography: Images of Armed Conflict and its Aftermath. Pg: 212 New Haven: Yale University Press.
6. Figure 2: (internet) http://www.allworldwars.com/image/072/Fenton089.jpg Viewed: 5:19pm 8.3.14

7. Figure 3: (internet) URL: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/ftncnw/item/2001697111/ viewed: 11:51pm 10.3.24



Alphabetical Ordered Bibliography:
Figure 1: “The Valley of the Shadow of Death”, Photographer: Roger Fenton, Tucker, A.W. (2012) War/Photography: Images of Armed Conflict and its Aftermath. Pg: 212 New Haven: Yale University Press.

Figure 2: http://www.allworldwars.com/image/072/Fenton089.jpg Viewed: 5:19pm 8.3.14

Figure 3: URL: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/ftncnw/item/2001697111/ viewed: 11:51pm 10.3.24
Gregory, J. (2006) 'The Routledge Companion to Britain in the Eighteenth Century 1688 - 1820'. Pg: 428 London: Routledge.

Hicks, P. (2009) 'The Industrial Revolution'. Pg: 4 London: Wayland.

Macdonald, G. (1979) Camera: a Victorian Eyewitness. Pg: 10 London: Batsford.


Tucker, A.W. (2012) War/Photography: Images of Armed Conflict and its Aftermath. Pg: 212 New Haven: Yale University Press.