Blunderer of the Thirteenth Light - Limited Edition 5 of 7 Photograph

The inspiration behind this picture came from frequent visits as a boy to Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire in the U.K. The Castle was home to the 17th Lancers (part of the 'Light Brigade') and I would spend hours studying the uniforms, weapons and paintings depicting the ill fated 'Charge of the Light Brigade'. I was fascinated with the thought that throughout history, the notion of honour has often superseded 'good old common sense' ...rarely with the question of 'why?' ever being asked, let alone being answered. This picture depicts the sitter reliving the moment of missed glory when perhaps 30 years earlier during the Crimean War, he was responsible for delivering the infamously vague order at the Battle of Balaclava for the British cavalry to charge the Russian guns, resulting in one of the most dramatic disasters in British Military history . Lord Lucan received the order and asked our eponymous hero as to which guns were meant, our 'hero' replied "'There are your guns sir" and further added to the confusion by gesticulating vaguely in the direction of the bedded in Russian artillery, which was not the intended target. Although almost certain death was inevitable , British honour would not allow the orders to be questioned further, and the British cavalry led by Lord Cardigan charged irregardless, resulting in huge casualties and the failure to gain any military advantage whatsoever. It should be noted that our hero took no part in the ensuing battle, and after delivering those ill fated lines, rode off in the opposite direction to the safety of the rear of the British lines... The title of the picture comes from Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' “Forward, the Light Brigade!” Was there a man dismayed? Not though the soldier knew Someone had blundered. Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die. Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. I make these images from scratch by building a set in my studio and capturing the resulting creation in true analogue style on a 19th century full plate with an 1867 Petzval lens. As is the same with all my work, each print is made by hand by a fine art printer overseen by me, and is signed and numbered individually.

Photography:C-type on Paper

Artist Produced Limited Edition of:7

Size:25 W x 20 H x 0.1 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.