Camp of the 5th Dragoon Guards 1855

Roger Fenton captured this albumen silver print, "Camp of the 5th Dragoon Guards," likely during the Crimean War. Fenton was sent to the Crimea as something of an embedded journalist, his trip sponsored by a print publisher and even Prince Albert. His mission: to counteract the increasingly negative reports filtering back to Britain about the war. What we see here is a carefully composed vista of military order, of soldiers tending to horses amidst neat rows of tents, all under the watchful eye of the distant hills. The scene suggests a well-organized and managed campaign, a far cry from the realities of disease, disorganization, and death that plagued the British war effort. Fenton's photograph must be understood within the context of Victorian Britain's complex relationship with its military and its imperial ambitions. To truly understand the image, we can turn to sources such as war correspondence, government records, and even popular songs and ballads.