A PHOTOGRAPH OF A WATERLOO VETERAN TAKEN ABOUT 1860

I first saw this very early photograph several years ago. It was auctioned at Christie's and is now in an American collection, I believe. The soldier concerned must have been very young indeed, perhaps in his late teens when he fought at Waterloo, but the medal upon his lapel proves it.

The picture was taken from a book illustration, but presumably the detail of the medal is clear on the original print which was hand coloured. Obviously, at about 65 years of age he has not too many years of life left. If anyone is sufficiently interested, I can quote the full caption that accompanies this striking image.

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Taken from PHOTODISCOVERY, Masterworks of Photography 1840-1940 by Bruce Bernard. 65 Anon Great Britain. An Elderly Veteran and His Wife. c. 1860.

Hand coloured ambrotype (1/2 plate). Rubel Collection, courtesy Thackerey & Robinson, San Francisco.

The old soldier – whose decoration reveal that he served at Waterloo – and his wife have probably been persuaded to sit for their portrait by their children or grandchildren. Both seem uneasy, the woman facing it out, the man dully resenting the ordeal. This is an excellent example of the tinted ambrotype and a rare human and social document as well.


http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/1411/waterlooveteranspousec1.jpg

or use the clickable version, see Splifflock_Holmes