Artwork Page for Angle of Taku Fort at which the French entered

Details / Information for Angle of Taku Fort at which the French entered

Angle of Taku Fort at which the French entered

1860

Felice A. Beato

(British, 1832–1909)
Culture
England, 19th century
Medium
albumen print from collodion negative
Measurements
Image: 23.1 x 29.1 cm (9 1/8 x 11 7/16 in.); Paper: 23.1 x 29.1 cm (9 1/8 x 11 7/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Michael Mattis and Judith Hochberg 2022.34
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print
?

Did You Know?

Felice Beato was one of the pioneers of war photography.

Description

Beato’s photographs of the Second Opium War are believed to be the first that captured a military campaign in progress. Within that project, an extended sequence of photographs of the Taku Forts—to which this image belongs—exemplify the idea of creating a narrative recreation of the battle, a process that would later be followed by American photographers documenting the Civil War.
A horizontally oriented albumen print depicts a massive, pockmarked earthen fortification wall receding toward the left under a pale sky. Two tall wooden ladders lean against a large breach on the right. In the midground, a row of sharpened wooden stakes lines the top of a dark, textured dirt bank. In the foreground, another ladder rests against the embankment. The sepia-toned photograph captures the gritty, scarred surface of the damaged defenses.

Angle of Taku Fort at which the French entered

1860

Felice A. Beato

(British, 1832–1909)
England, 19th century

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