Roger Fenton - photojournalism & new technology

Question 1

What was invented in the 1830/40s & what did that mean?

Answer 1

the invention of photography in 1839/40s = new way for the battlefield to be communicated back home

Question 2

What were the cameras/pictures like?

Answer 2

cameras were reliable enough for professional photographers to take cameras into battle zones
- no action shots & subjects had to hold each pose for several seconds (photos were staged)

Question 3

What did these photos mean to people in Britain?

Answer 3

photos gave insight to people back in Britain what warfare was really like

Question 4

What was ‘Railway mania’ & what did it mean for journalism?

Answer 4

frenzy of investment into railways
- allowed newspapers to be taken all over the country
= national public opinion became familiar to politicians

Question 5

What new technology improved the speed of sending reports?

Answer 5

electric telegraph invention meant reports from the Crimea reached Br quickly

(during Napoleonic wars, reports were carried on horse wagons & then sailed to Br)

Question 6

Example of Crimean reports being faster than Napoleonic war reports?

Answer 6

the Battle of Alma appeared in The Times newspaper just over a week after the battle
vs.
took 26 days for the Battle of Salamanca to appear in The Times newspaper