Lieutenant Colonel Shadforth and Officers of the 57th 1855

Roger Fenton took this albumen silver print, *Lieutenant Colonel Shadforth and Officers of the 57th*, sometime in the 1850s. As one of the first war photographers, Fenton captured scenes from the Crimean War. Here, we see a group of officers, their expressions ranging from stoic to contemplative, gathered in what appears to be a moment of reprieve. Note that the absence of dynamic action, typical of battle scenes, is in part due to the technical limitations of early photography. This necessitated posed subjects and longer exposure times. More importantly, it invites us to consider the constructed nature of the image itself. Fenton, commissioned by the British government, was tasked with documenting the war, yet he carefully omitted the harsh realities of combat. Instead, he presented a sanitized view, focusing on the camaraderie and composure of the officers. In doing so, he subtly reinforced prevailing notions of British military prowess and the social hierarchies of the time. Consider what is included, and more importantly, what is left out, of the frame.