Waterloo or not...

[fernando]

So .. it was Cyrillic, after all .

[Jim McDougall]

This famous photo was taken in Sevastopol on April 23, 1855, by photographer Roger Fenton who was sent there by Thomas Agnew of London to capture images of the Crimean War in place there.

The Crimean War was one of the first to be observed in a journalistic sense by 'war correspondents', and Roger Fenton one of the first official photographers.
While it is fascinating to see images in 'real time' of such historic events, it was typical that such photographs were 'staged' to dramatize or recreate the circumstances. Obviously it would have been difficult to move the equipment and properly set up each shot spontaneously.

In this case, the 'road' was probably somewhere near the location where the famous 'Charge of the Light Brigade' took place. The British troops were under constant shelling and gathered shot for further use, and it is believed the balls that line this road were either thrown there as such..........or more likely these were 'staged' there for dramatic effect. Another photo from the same vantage point is void of cannon shot.
The valley was apparently called 'valley of death' by the British forces from that constant barrage.

The famed charge of the Light Brigade had taken place October 25, 1854, and Lord Tennyson penned his famous poem, which of course had used the phrase 'valley of death' on December 2,1854. It was published in the 'Examiner' on December 9, 1854.

Fenton first exhibited this photograph in September of 1855, so the title was likely with reference to Tennyson's use of the 'valley' phrase.

1. The 1855 photo of cannon ball strewn valley by Fenton
2. artistic rendition of the action in 1854 , the charge.
3.the area today contains a vineyard as seen in this panorama

[Via Dixiane]

thanks jim for the pictures and your interest

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Via Dixiane

thanks jim for the pictures and your interest

You are very welcome! fascinating item. I once had a ball from the War of 1812 I acquired in New Orleans, which sat on my desk for decades. Eventually it literally fell to pieces, completely corroded from within.

Simply an anecdote about cannon balls in general

[Victrix]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

You are very welcome! fascinating item. I once had a ball from the War of 1812 I acquired in New Orleans, which sat on my desk for decades. Eventually it literally fell to pieces, completely corroded from within.

Simply an anecdote about cannon balls in general

Jim, you are a living encyclopedia! Thank you for sharing your vast knowledge on this forum.

[fernando]

Jim, in trying to relate your post & pictures with the ongoing topic, the closest i can get is that you are suggesting that the discussed setup is not an isolated personal memorandum but a 'marketing' souvenir.
While in the famous photo you show, judging by the 'disciplined' (read implausible) line up of such immense parade of balls, is practically undeniable that it is a setup organized by the photographer, to the extent you may even doubt if those balls were actually all shot, without an extra resource of unshot ammunition reserves, at least Via Dixiane memo has a bursted grenade, which gives it a reality look.
I don't have scruples in so saying because i once saw a photographer, during a street demonstration (Paris 1968), enticing a young man to burst the windows of a kiosk, to later publish the scene in his magazine, as if it were spontaneous.

[Jim McDougall]

Actually I had not given it any thought, and simply recalled research of years ago when I was obsessed with the "Charge of the Light Brigade" and the cannons, which were the focus of the immortal charge.

'cannon to the left of them, cannon to the right of them, cannon in front of them, volley'd and thunder'd'

I was not suggesting anything, but as this item is said to be from Sevastopol, my memory to countless years of research on the charge was piqued.

Batjka translated the inscription, clearly Cyrillic, and suggested perhaps it was a fragment of a shell from the Crimean War. Somehow that triggered thoughts of the charge and the lines of the Tennyson poem, and the famed photo.
I actually had no thought of the character of the ball shown, whether it was authentically exploded or not, nor why it was mounted, except I will note that there are countless souvenir items from that war with such labels.
As far as I have known these are generally items which belonged to members of the units in the Crimea, presentation items to such groups, and personal keepsakes.
I have never seen 'marketing' souvenirs from this war personally, so would not have thought of such an instance for this example of what is commonly known as 'trench art'.

In trying to add interesting information pertaining to Sevastopol, as suggested by Batjka, I did not realize I had postured such a perplexing notion.

[fernando]

If i may Jim, not all of us get carried in the same direction ... in this case when it is about electing one's topic collateral inputs.

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

... In trying to add interesting information pertaining to Sevastopol, as suggested by Batjka, I did not realize I had postured such a perplexing notion...

Call it instead a little hesitation, before i figured out which angle of the topic you selected to articulate.

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

... While it is fascinating to see images in 'real time' of such historic events, it was typical that such photographs were 'staged' to dramatize or recreate the circumstances.

... As such is what in my entry i have chosen to focus on; the subject of inauthenticity of images; a practice that you point out having been exercised since the very first photojournalist intervention on the scenario. This drove me to recall the experience i had in the 1968 French tumults, not counting later episodes of similar caliber.

[fernando]

Spoke too soon ...
This one even has articulated features.


.

[batjka]

The ensemble is definitely put together in recent times - the script is contemporary Russian Cyrillic, put in place after the orphography reform of 1918. However, it does not mean that the items are not authentic. So-called "black archaeology" is widespread in Russia with people digging up items from passed wars and selling them as souvenirs. So it's plausible (if not likely) that the balls and the grenade are authentic ordnance from Crimean War.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by batjka

... So it's plausible (if not likely) that the balls and the grenade are authentic ordnance from Crimean War...

Sure thing Batjka; that is something i did not think of doubting.

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by batjka

The ensemble is definitely put together in recent times - the script is contemporary Russian Cyrillic, put in place after the orphography reform of 1918. However, it does not mean that the items are not authentic. So-called "black archaeology" is widespread in Russia with people digging up items from passed wars and selling them as souvenirs. So it's plausible (if not likely) that the balls and the grenade are authentic ordnance from Crimean War.

Very well noted Batjka!!! The inscribed plate is most pertinent, as you say that its manner of Cyrillic is a manner post 1918. Indeed, this does NOT suggest any inauthenticity of the items used to fashion this poignant memento. …..which is what it is, NOT a contrived marketing item.
The fact that the plate simply notes 'IN MEMORY OF SEVASTOPOL' strongly suggests this notion, rather than elaborately detailing date, event etc .
While the 'black art' possibility is compelling, it is possible this assembly might have been put together many years ago from a survivors memorabilia and likely by the family who did not know details of its circumstance.

When I mentioned 'trench art', this referred to many items which were fashioned by soldiers using items of ordnance, and other battle related materials to fashion interesting assemblies in the manner of this cannon ball display. What comes to mind is candle holders etc. made from shell casings (much of this was WWI),

When I illustrated the photo of the 'Valley of the Shadow of Death', the intent was to convey the powerfully dramatic effect that artillery had on the men in the Crimean War, the relentless shelling and the foreboding feeling that went with the photo. The reason I brought forth the fact that it had been 'staged' was to establish transparency and emphasize this was the artistic effect the photographer wished to instill.

Clearly, whoever assembled this almost chilling memento of Sevastopol had intended to convey similar notions.

While I know that in the original post there was apparently a genuine hope of this relic/art having Waterloo provenance, however, the battles and events in the Crimea in 1854-56 were equally important. The 'Charge of the Light Brigade', mostly through the words of Lord Tennyson, is one of the most famed, and fateful, cavalry charges in history. It is remarkable that his poem, as well as this famed photo with title phrased from it, carry the dramatic nuance of this relatively little known war.
This 'memento' does much the same, regardless of when and why it was assembled.

[fernando]

Jim, what i read from Batjka is that these ammunitions were potentially caught in the Crimean war scenario, but intentionally for the making of setups to sell as souvenirs.
You might have missed or ignored my post #14 where i have shown pictures of an example in the same line as the one here discussed, in this case (by the way) an articulated candle holder, ironically offered in a Waterloo memorabilia website, although assumedly tagged as a Crimean souvenir.
From which both notes we have no doubt left that, these things pour out there, definitely for commercial purposes. Looking at these as they should be seen, is a way to not confuse them with more serious items, actually made to remember moments by those who had been through such real tragic situations.
All in all i realize that, one and the other do not represent the same .