The exhibition celebrates love at the front-line with remarkable images by Roger Fenton, which document the powerful presence of 'Women of the Regiment' during the Crimean War. Spanning over 200 years the Museum’s newest exhibition will explore all aspects of soldiers’ relationships from the joy of courtships, weddings and births to separation and tragic deaths.
Exhibited for the first time, Wives and Sweethearts presents the treasured personal items of soldiers and their sweethearts from letters of engagement and poignant photographs to dazzling diamond love tokens.
Drawing on the Museum’s collections visitors can discover the love, fears, doubts and joys of generations of soldiers and the profound effect of Army life on the personal relationships of soldiers and their partners and families from the Napoleonic period to the present day.
Frances Parton, Curator of Wives and Sweethearts exhibition, said: “As curator, it has been a challenge as much as a joy to select the items for the exhibition. The Museum has such a wealth of social history material on the subject of soldiers and their love lives that I was spoilt for choice. These items provide us with a touching insight into the lives of others and remind us of the people behind the conflicts.”
The exhibition highlights the fascinating and changing roles of soldiers’ partners from nineteenth-century ‘Women of the Regiment’ who worked as cooks and laundresses to modern Army families, where both partners may in the Armed Forces. From the wives of Wellington’s armies to those currently missing a partner in Afghanistan, theWives and Sweethearts exhibitions brings alive for today’s visitors the personal aspects of war and its continued relevance.
The official press release can be found here, and details of the exhibition here.
Photo: Image 4607: Photograph: Cantiniere by Roger Fenton (1819-1869). From photograph album of 52 photographs associated with the Crimean War (1854-1856).
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