This website presents our knowledge and research on this important aspect of the Royal Collection. As of April 2026 it will not be regularly updated and new research on this topic will sit within the main website.

Record of historical events

Victoria and Albert collected photographs that documented the political and military events that defined a period of global expansion

ROGER FENTON (1819-69)

Looking towards Balaklava, Turkish camp in the distance to the right

Apr 1855

Albumen print | 26.2 x 35.3 cm (image) | RCIN 2500519

Photograph taken on the Plateau of Sevastopol, looking towards Balaklava. In the foreground there is a group of soldiers, some mounted on horses, with a small camp on the hillside behind. On the plateau beyond there is a campsite to either side, with the campsite to the right being that of the Turkish army. This is one of a series of eleven photographs which create a panoramic picture of the Plateau of Sevastopol. The Siege of Sevastopol was a major component of the Crimean War, lasting from October 1854 to September 1855. The troops engaged in the siege camped in the countryside surrounding the town.
  • Creator(s)

    View person page

    Roger Fenton (1819-69) (photographer)

  • 26.2 x 35.3 cm (image)

    57.3 x 44.6 cm (page dimensions)

  • Panoramic Series

  • Subject(s)
    • Science, Medicine and Technology
      • Industries, Crafts and Trades
        • Travel Goods
          • Tents
        • Clothing
          • Costume
            • Uniforms
              • Military uniforms
      • Agriculture and related techniques
        • Animal husbandry
          • Horses
            • Cavalry horses
    • Arts, Recreation, Entertainment & Sport
      • Architecture
        • Domestic architecture
          • Huts
    • Social sciences
      • Military affairs
        • Cavalry
          • Cavalry soldiers
        • Wars, Campaigns & Battles
          • Wars
            • Wars of the nineteenth century
              • Crimean War (1853-1856)