Rejlander Introduces Rejlander the Volunteer, by Oscar Gustaf Rejlander. Photographed c. 1871. Photograph size: 181 x 140 mm. Albumen print in a card mount. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Musuem. Credit: The Royal Photographic Society Collection at the V&A, acquired with the generous assistance of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund. Museum no. RPS.1376-2017. Image download, text and formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee [click on the image to enlarge it].
Rejlander's sense of humour and commitment to his adopted country both emerge here, together with the Victorian propensity for dressing up. The artist at his easel introduces the volunteer soldier willing to fight for England. Rejlander had indeed joined such a company, and no doubt enjoyed wearing the uniform. In this role, he looks somewhat askance at the artist! While some of his photographs, as Charles Darwin recognized, demonstrate the potential of the camera for serious and precise scientific documentation, this composition shows its potential for fakery and entertainment.
Bibliography
"Rejlander Introduces Rejlander the Volunteer." Victoria and Albert Museum. Web. 22 July 2019.
Created 21 July 2019