Zouaves

Art Historical Context

Step into the gritty reality of the Crimean War *Zouaves* (1855), a salted paper print by pioneering photographer Roger Fenton. Captured during the 1853–1856 conflict between Britain, France, the Ottoman Empire, and Russia this image from plate 32 of Fenton's album *Phot Taken in the Crimea*1856) showcases the flamboyant French Zouave soldiers—elite infantry famed for their North African-inspired uniforms, agility, and valor. Fenton, hired by the British press, traveled to the front lines with a custom photographic van, making him one of the first war photographers to document the human side of battle. The salted paper print medium, an early wet-collodion variant on paper sensitized with salt and silver nitrate, produces Fenton's signature warm tones and fine detail in this 18.4 × 16.8 cm image (mounted to 58.9 × 42.5 cm). This technique was revolutionary for its portability and ability to capture portraits amid the chaos of war, though long exposures meant no action shots—Fenton focused instead on encampments and troops at rest. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Photography and Media Department, *Zouaves* highlights photography's emerging power to shape public perception of war, bridging art and journalism. It invites visitors to ponder the soldiers' stories behind the lens, a testament to Fenton's enduring legacy in visual history.

About the Artist

Roger Fenton · 1819–1819

Roger Fenton (1819–1869), born into a prosperous Lancashire merchant family as the son of banker and MP John Fenton, initially pursued a scholarly path, earning a first-class BA from the University of London in 1840 before studying law at University College London. He abandoned these pursuits for art, training as a painter under the history painter Charles Lucy in London by 1847—the two became clo...