Sebastopol, from the Mortar Battery 1855

Roger Fenton captured this stark, open landscape of Sebastopol using the collodion process. The strewn cannonballs across the terrain speak of devastation, becoming stark symbols of a landscape scarred by conflict. These spherical objects, scattered like seeds of destruction, echo motifs of mortality seen throughout art history, from vanitas paintings featuring skulls to battle scenes filled with fallen heroes. The cannonball, initially a tool of war, transforms here. We can see it echoing the human skull, reminding us of our inevitable end. Consider how such symbols evolve—the skull, once a memento mori in quiet contemplation, becomes, in Fenton's hands, an emblem of violent disruption. This photograph holds a profound psychological weight, engaging viewers with the brutal reality of war, far removed from romantic heroism. The cyclical nature of conflict and its iconography continues to resurface, evolving and acquiring new meanings in each age.