The Bombardment of Sebastopol 1858

John Wilson Carmichael painted The Bombardment of Sebastopol, an oil on canvas, sometime in the mid-19th century. It gives us an idea of how the Crimean War, and specifically the Siege of Sevastopol, was understood by the British public. Maritime painting was extremely popular in Britain at this time, and the genre helped construct a vision of Britain as a nation defined by its naval power. Here we see British naval superiority on full display. In the foreground are a number of boats, presumably filled with British soldiers who are about to disembark, while in the background the city of Sevastopol is engulfed in flames. The scene is both terrifying and glorious, which is likely how Carmichael and his contemporaries saw the war. Historical sources can help us understand how public opinion about the war shifted over time, and how the meaning of paintings like this one might have changed as a result.