Pierre Bosquet met zijn staf tijdens de Krimoorlog Possibly 1855

Roger Fenton captured this image of Pierre Bosquet and his staff during the Crimean War, using the wet collodion process. Fenton, embedded with the British army, presents us with a seemingly straightforward portrait. However, it’s crucial to understand the complex politics surrounding the Crimean War. France and Britain allied against Russia, ostensibly to protect the Ottoman Empire. This photograph serves as a piece of political theater, obscuring the brutal realities of war. Bosquet, a key figure in the French military, is presented as a leader, surrounded by his staff. Yet, the image is strikingly devoid of any explicit reference to the actual conflict; no weapons, no battlefields, only stoic faces. Fenton's photographs were intended to shape public opinion back home, sanitizing the war and promoting a narrative of unity and purpose. The absence of suffering in Fenton's images speaks volumes about the selective framing of war and the power of photography as a tool for shaping national identity and justifying political agendas.