All the mighty world: The photographs of Roger Fenton, 1852–1860
Date
2004-10-17
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Other
Peer reviewed
Abstract
Description
Roger Fenton was the most significant photographer of the mid-19th century whose work covered a wide range of genres, though perhaps best regarded for his photographic studies of the Crimean War in 1855. As the principal curators of the exhibition were American I was asked to join the team because of my specialist knowledge of Fenton, photographic exhibitions and the culture of Victorian Britain. Working with the notes prepared by Baldwin of the Getty, I prepared a detailed and footnoted chronology, researching into many new aspects of Fenton’s life using the local history archives in Lancashire, London and other primary sources. The resulting chronology was circulated to the authors as an aide-memoir for their essay writing. It is the only chronology in the field to benefit from footnotes. My two essays relied extensively on primary source material. In the Royal Archives, Windsor I was granted generous access to the photographic collections, archives and Royal Library. The extensive research into 19th century photographic exhibitions I undertook when preparing Photographs Exhibited in Britain (PEIB) allowed me to offer the first detailed account of Fenton’s exhibiting activities. The PEIB website was used by every author, making it the most frequently cited work in the exhibition catalogue.
A website was created to present faithful transcriptions of the letters sent by Fenton to his family during his time in the Crimea tour. Other than a poorly transcribed and willfully edited publication of letters from 1954 this important collection remained largely unknown. It was a collaborative project that drew of the manuscript collections of the University of Texas at Austin and the National Media Museum, Bradford.
Finalist for the 2006 Historians of British Art book prize; Winner of the 2005 Golden Light Awards for the Best Exhibition Catalogue category; Finalist for the 2006 Kraszna-Kraus Book Awards.
Major research project resulting in two essays, chronology and bibliography in book, website and international touring exhibition Contributions in Baldwin, G., Daniel, M., Greenhough, S. ed. (2004) All the Mighty World: The Photographs of Roger Fenton, 1852–1860, ISBN 1-58839-129-0 See Chapters: “Mr Fenton Explained Everything”: Queen Victoria and Roger Fenton, pp74-81 “A Most Enthusiastic Cultivator of His Art”: Fenton’s Critics and the Trajectory of His Career, pp199-210 A Chronology of the Life and Photographic Career of Roger Fenton, pp231-239 Exhibition: All the Mighty World: The Photographs of Roger Fenton, 1852–1860 at National Gallery of Art, Washington 17 Oct 2004 – 2 Jan 2005; The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles 1 Feb – 24 April 2005; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 24 May - 21 Aug 2005; Tate Britain, London, 21 Sept 2005 – 2 Jan 2006 Website: Roger Fenton’s Letter from the Crimea http://rogerfenton.dmu.ac.uk/
Major research project resulting in two essays, chronology and bibliography in book, website and international touring exhibition Contributions in Baldwin, G., Daniel, M., Greenhough, S. ed. (2004) All the Mighty World: The Photographs of Roger Fenton, 1852–1860, ISBN 1-58839-129-0 See Chapters: “Mr Fenton Explained Everything”: Queen Victoria and Roger Fenton, pp74-81 “A Most Enthusiastic Cultivator of His Art”: Fenton’s Critics and the Trajectory of His Career, pp199-210 A Chronology of the Life and Photographic Career of Roger Fenton, pp231-239 Exhibition: All the Mighty World: The Photographs of Roger Fenton, 1852–1860 at National Gallery of Art, Washington 17 Oct 2004 – 2 Jan 2005; The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles 1 Feb – 24 April 2005; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 24 May - 21 Aug 2005; Tate Britain, London, 21 Sept 2005 – 2 Jan 2006 Website: Roger Fenton’s Letter from the Crimea http://rogerfenton.dmu.ac.uk/
Keywords
RAE 2008, UoA 63 Art and Design
Citation
Baldwin, G. (2004) All the Mighty World: The Photographs of Roger Fenton, 1852–1860. USA: Metropolitan Museum of Art.