London_ The British Museum by Roger Fenton

London_ The British Museum 1857

cardboard, albumen-print, paper, architecture

cardboard

albumen-print

toned paper

woman

light pencil work

16_19th-century

pencil sketch

old engraving style

etching

paper

child

linocut print

pen-ink sketch

watercolour illustration

pencil art

watercolor

architecture

building

"London_ The British Museum" is a 1857 calotype by Roger Fenton (1819 - ), a pioneer of photographic portraiture and landscape photography. The image depicts Saint John the Baptist in a detailed, intricately-rendered style, standing amidst lush foliage and holding a staff with a banner. The calotype, a photographic printing process developed in the 19th century, enhances the sense of texture and depth in the scene.

Comments

stadelmuseum over 1 year ago

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Roger Fenton’s career as a photographer is impressive. During the early years of photography, he was the most creative and successful photographer in the UK. His architectural views and landscapes, portraits and still lifes, along with his travel and war photographs, are milestones in photographic history. In his role as the British Museum’s first official photographer, Fenton demonstrated his sure sense as a ‘photo artist’. Here, the mother and her children lend the awe-inspiring facade a human dimension.