Crimean Braves — Men of the Trenches and Battlefields in the Crimea

Art Historical Context

Step into the gritty heroism of the Crimean War *Crimean Braves — Men of Trenches and Battlefields the Crimea* (1856), a photogalvanograph by Joseph Call and Robert Howlett Captured amid the brutal conflict between Russia and an alliance of Britain, France, and others (1853–1856), this image honors the everyday soldiers who endured trenches, battles, and unimaginable hardships. Cundall a pioneering photographer and publisher, teamed with Howlett, known for his sharp portraits, to document these "braves"—ordinary men turned heroes—in a series that brought the war's human face home to Victorian audiences. The medium, photogalvanograph, marks a breakthrough in 19th-century imaging: a photomechanical process using electrotyping to mass-produce photographic images from collodion negatives. Printed on a large sheet (55.8 × 37.9 cm), with the image itself measuring 24.5 × 19.8 cm, it allowed affordable distribution in albums, bridging photography's novelty with print culture. This innovation made war imagery accessible, shifting public perception from glorified battles to personal stories. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's CPH department through the Alfred H. Moses and Fern M. Schad Fund, this work underscores photography's emerging role in journalism and commemoration. It humanizes the Crimean War—the conflict that inspired Florence Nightingale's reforms and Tennyson's "Charge of the Light Brigade"—reminding us of the valor behind the headlines.