767-780

The Crimean War (1854-1856) revealed both the decline of the Ottoman Empire as well as the reality of the hardship of war. While there was no decisive military victory for the French and British or the Russians, the ultimate end of the Crimean War in a treaty seriously dampened the pride of the Russians and thus maintained the balance of power. What is equally significant to the maintenance of the balance of power that the Crimean War achieved is the publicity that the reality of the Crimean War gained through the photograph of Roger Fenton. While the public could previously hear stories of the hardships of war, the photography of British Fenton revealed the poor conditions that the British army suffered during the Crimean War and inspired a public response. Fenton’s photography brought the reality of the hardships of war home to Britain and inspired not only a public demand for change of the conditions of army but also the artistic movement of realism. The basic foundation of realism is the artistic depiction of their reality without the interference of artistic “interpretations” of this reality. The realist movement was revolutionary not only because of its new artistic implications but also because it demonstrated a new form to communicate the realities of either the army (such as Fenton’s Captain Dames of the Royal Artillery) or the menial tasks of common workers (such as Courbet’s The Stone Breakers). The Crimean War was historically and artistically influential for it allowed the maintenance of the balance of European power as well as being the source of the foundation of realism.