General View of Balaklava 1855

Roger Fenton made this photograph of Balaklava using the wet collodion process, a relatively new technology at the time. This technique involved coating a glass plate with a light-sensitive emulsion immediately before exposure in the camera, demanding speed and precision. The image’s sepia tones result from the chemical development process, a world away from our instant digital images. It is through the manipulation of chemistry and light that Fenton captures a specific place, fixed in time. Look closely at the roofs of the buildings and the rough-hewn stone walls. The soft focus and tonal range emphasize the textures of the built environment and reflect the conditions of a town under military occupation. Fenton’s choice of this emerging technology positions photography as both a documentary tool and a mode of artistic expression, intertwining the realms of industry, science, and art. It reminds us that every image, whether painting or photograph, carries the traces of its making.