Photographic van, 1855.

Photograph by Roger Fenton (1819-1869). This is the van which Fenton used during his documentation of the Crimean War (1853-1856). Originally a wine merchant's carriage, it was adapted to accommodate both a darkroom and living space for Fenton and his two assistants (one of them pictured here, Marcus Sparling). Fenton was commissioned (with royal sanction) by the publisher Thomas Agnew to photograph the Crimean War. Expected to produce images that would give a positive message to the nation, he returned with over 350 pictures.