DOCSLIB.ORG

Civil War Photography

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Civil War Photography Civil War Photography Civil War Photography Group of Union Officers at Arlington House, Home of Robert E. Lee, ca. 1862 Alexander Garden (American, 1821-1882) Albumen silver print from glass negative; 6 3/4 x 9 1/16 in. SLIDE ONE: The Civil War was the first large and prolonged conflict recorded by photography. During the war, dozens of photographers, both as private individuals and as employees of the Confederate and Union Governments, photographed civilians and civilian activities; military personnel, equipment, and activities; and the locations and aftermaths of battles. SLIDE TWO: Photography in the United States was only 21 years old when the Civil War started. The craft had undergone dramatic changes since the mirror image of the daguerreotype (də-'ge-rō-ˌtīp), -the first commercial form of photography- was introduced in the United States in 1839. SLIDE THREE: Because the battlefields were too chaotic and dangerous for the painstaking wet-plate procedures to be carried out, photographers could depict only strategic sites camp scenes, preparations for or retreat from action, and, on rare occasions, the grisly aftermath of battle. The images on glass are called ambrotypes SLIDE FOUR: Three basic forms of photography existed during the war… The most common were individual portraits of soldiers taken by itinerant army camp photographers and small-town photographers. These one-of-a-kind images were made on glass or metal, and placed in small glass-covered, fold-open wooden or plastic cases. The images on glass are called ambrotypes. The metal images are called tintypes or ferrotypes. The number of cased images made during the war no doubt exceeded a million SLIDE FIVE: The second basic form of photography was the carte de visite or cdv and it was also primarily a portrait photograph, except it was made with a glass, wet-plate negative. The negative allowed for the creation of unlimited copies. Prints were made on albumen paper, the photographic paper of the day. The more expensive cdv format was more commonly favored by army men of higher rank. Cdv portraits of generals, statesmen, actors and actresses and other 19th century celebrities were commercially sold by the thousands. Photographer, Timothy O' Sullivan’s famous photo is that of a death scene at the Battle of Gettysburg. His "A Harvest of Death," depicted dead soldiers lying on the ground after battle on July 1863. SLIDE SIX and SLIDE SEVEN: The third basic form of Civil War photography were the photographs taken in the field by nationally known photographers and firms such as Timothy O’Sullivan, Alexander Gardner, M. B. Brady, and the E & H.T. Anthony Co. These photographs were taken on glass plate negatives and printed on albumen photographic paper. An estimated 5,000 or more battlefield, camp and outdoor photographs were created for military use and for commercial sale. The majority were 3-D photographs, called stereo views or stereographs, taken with a twin-lens stereoscopic camera. SLIDE EIGHT: Mathew B. Brady secured permission from Lincoln to follow the troops in what was expected to be a short and glorious war; he saw only the first engagement, however, and lost his wagons and equipment in the tumult of defeat. Deciding to forgo further action himself, Brady instead financed a corps of field photographers who, together with those employed by the Union military command and by Alexander Gardner, made the first extended photographic coverage of a war. Mathew B. Brady also photographed Abraham Lincoln, the first president to have his picture taken. sources sited: http://www.civilwarphotography.org/archive.html http://www.cwreenactors.com/collodion/ http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/cwphome.html http://www.archives.gov/research/civil-war/photos revised: 12/09 .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Rethinking Documentary Photography
    RETHINKING DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY: DOCUMENTARY AND POLITICS IN TIMES OF RIOTS AND UPRISINGS —————————————————— A Thesis Presented to The Honors Tutorial College Ohio University —————————————————— In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Graduation from the Honors Tutorial College with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Art History —————————————————— by Jack Opal May 2013 Introduction I would like to think about documentary photography. In particular, I would like to rethink the limits of documentary photography for the contemporary. Documentary, traditionally, concerns itself with the (re)presentation of factual information, constitutes a record.1 For decades, documentary – and especially social documentary – has been under siege; its ability to capture and convey and adequately represent “truth” thrown into question, victim to the aestheticization of the objects, fading trust in their authors, and technological development. So much so that the past three decades have prompted photographer, documentarian, and art historian Martha Rosler to question first its utility, then its role, and finally its future in society. All of this has opened up the possibility and perhaps the need to reconsider the conditions and purpose of documentary practice, and to consider the ways in which it has been impacted by recent technological and historical developments. The invention of the internet and the refinement of the (video) camera into ever more portable devices and finally into the smartphone, and the rise to ubiquity within society of these inventions, signifies a major shift in documentary. So, too, have certain events of the past two decades – namely, the beating of Rodney King (and the circulation of the video of that event) and the development and adoption of the occupation as a major tactic within the political left.
    [Show full text]
  • Inserting Hans Bellmer's the Doll Into the History of Pornography
    Claremont Colleges Scholarship @ Claremont Scripps Senior Theses Scripps Student Scholarship 2020 Softcore Surrealism: Inserting Hans Bellmer's The Doll into the History of Pornography Alexandra M. Varga Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses Recommended Citation Varga, Alexandra M., "Softcore Surrealism: Inserting Hans Bellmer's The Doll into the History of Pornography" (2020). Scripps Senior Theses. 1566. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/1566 This Open Access Senior Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Scripps Student Scholarship at Scholarship @ Claremont. It has been accepted for inclusion in Scripps Senior Theses by an authorized administrator of Scholarship @ Claremont. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 1 SOFTCORE SURREALISM: INSERTING HANS BELLMER’S THE DOLL INTO THE HISTORY OF PORNOGRAPHY, 2020 By ALEXANDRA M. VARGA SUBMITTED TO SCRIPPS COLLEGE IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR ARTS FIRST READER: PROFESSOR MACNAUGHTON, SCRIPPS COLLEGE SECOND READER: PROFESSOR NAKAUE, SCRIPPS COLLEGE MAY 4TH 2020 2 Contents Acknowledgments. 3 Introduction: Finding The Doll. 4 Critical Reception: Who Has Explored The Doll?. 10 Chapter 1: Construction of the Doll and Creation of the Book. 22 Chapter 2: Publication in Germany and France. 37 Conclusion: Too Real For Comfort. 51 Bibliography. 53 Figures: Die Puppe Sequence, 1934. 56 Figures: La Poupée Sequence, 1936. 64 Figures: 19th and 20th Century Pornography. 71 3 Acknowledgments This thesis could not have been written without the support of my thesis readers, Professors Mary MacNaughton and Melanie Nakaue. I would like to thank them for their unwavering support. Their guidance gave me the confidence to pursue such an eccentric topic.
    [Show full text]
  • How Has Photojournalism Framed the War in Afghanistan?
    How has photojournalism framed the war in Afghanistan? David Campbell PUBLICATION In Burke and Norfolk: Photographs from the War in Afghanistan, John Burke and Simon Norfolk (Stockport: Dewi Lewis, 2011). Images are central to contemporary geopolitics. We encounter other people and places though a “field of perceptible reality” enabled by visual representations.1 Photographs, paintings, video, film, computer games – each and every pictorial artefact - helps establish what can be represented and how it can be shown. In turn, those images are made possible by a series of historical, cultural and political frames.2 The field of perceptible reality that is the decade-long war in Afghanistan has been enacted in large part through news imagery and photojournalism. We have seen a steady stream of familiar pictures made up of allied forces, Afghan civilians, Taliban casualties and American military families. Photojournalism on the front line has focused on the military struggles of international forces as they combat an ‘elusive’ opponent, with soldiers and their weaponry front and centre. There is also an inevitable regularity to the style of these images. As Associated Press photographer David Guttenfelder notes, the work of photojournalists in Afghanistan “sometimes looks very uniform.”3 “Embedded journalism” has been a frame commonly focused upon to explain the nature and limits of what we do and don’t see. That analysis sometimes proceeds on the assumption that there was once a time when photography’s contribution to the field of perceptible reality was free from government controls. As Judith Butler claims in her assessment of the ethics of photography: Recent war photography departs significantly from the conventions of war photojournalism that were at work thirty or forty years ago, where the photographer or camera person would attempt to enter the action through angles and modes of access that sought to expose the war in ways that no government had planned.
    [Show full text]
  • Reconstruction: Photography and History in EL Doctorow's
    Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College Honors Theses Florida Atlantic University Libraries Year Reconstruction: photography and history in E.L. Doctorow’s The March Eric Seymour Florida Atlantic University, This paper is posted at DigitalCommons@Florida Atlantic University. http://digitalcommons.fau.edu/wilkes theses/26 Reconstruction: Photography and History in E. L. Doctorow’s The March by Eric Seymour A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Wilkes Honors College in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences with a Concentration in English Literature Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University Jupiter, Florida May 2007 Reconstruction: Photography and History in E. L. Doctorow’s The March by Eric Seymour This thesis was prepared under the direction of the candidate’s thesis advisor, Dr. Laura Barrett, and has been approved by the members of her/his supervisory committee. It was submitted to the faculty of The Honors College and was accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences. SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE: ____________________________ Dr. Laura Barrett ____________________________ Dr. Christopher Strain ______________________________ Dean, Wilkes Honors College ____________ Date ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project is deeply indebted to the scholarly output, guidance, and patience of Dr. Laura Barrett; her exceptional knowledge and profound understanding of visual culture, particularly photography, has enabled me to execute an academic endeavor that would have otherwise remained out of my reach. I would also like to thank Dr. Hilary Edwards, who has helped me to locate the merits of particular scholarly questions involved with this thesis, showing me how to put pressure on a topic in order to foreground its relevance.
    [Show full text]
  • World War I Photography As Historical Record Kimberly Holifield University of Southern Mississippi
    SLIS Connecting Volume 7 Article 9 Issue 1 SLIS Connecting Special Issue: British Studies 2018 Through the Lens: World War I Photography as Historical Record Kimberly Holifield University of Southern Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/slisconnecting Part of the Archival Science Commons, Collection Development and Management Commons, Information Literacy Commons, Scholarly Communication Commons, and the Scholarly Publishing Commons Recommended Citation Holifield, Kimberly (2018) "Through the Lens: World War I Photography as Historical Record," SLIS Connecting: Vol. 7 : Iss. 1 , Article 9. DOI: 10.18785/slis.0701.09 Available at: https://aquila.usm.edu/slisconnecting/vol7/iss1/9 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in SLIS Connecting by an authorized editor of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Through the Lens: World War I Photography as Historical Record By Kimberly Holifield British Studies Research Paper July 2016 Readers: Dr. Matthew Griffis Dr. Teresa Welsh Figure 1. Unidentified German Official Photographer in a Shallow Trench, June 1917 (Imperial War Museum Collection, www.iwm.org.uk) Figure 2. First World War Exhibit, Imperial War Museum (Holifield, 2016) “Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.”—Dorothea Lange Introduction However, a shift toward photography as historical Quotations fill vacant spaces along the walls of the record has slowly begun to make its way through the First World War exhibit at the Imperial War Museum world of scholarship. In their 2009 article, Tucker and of London.
    [Show full text]
  • Canadian Official War Photography
    Artifact Backgrounder Canadian Official War Photography DEFINITION DID YOU KNOW? In terms of volume and scope, the images Canada’s official photographic record taken by the Photographic Section of the of the First World War consists of Canadian War Records Office comprise one of the most valuable visual records the more than 8,000 photographs of the First World War to survive that were taken by professional anywhere in the world. photographers and approved by military authorities. warmuseum.ca/education Canadian Official War Photography HISTORICAL CONTEXT The earliest known war photography dates At the time of the American Civil War, unwieldy from the Mexican-American War (18461847). cameras and long film exposure times were best However, the first conflicts to be widely suited to photographing static subjects that photographed were the Crimean War could be carefully posed or arranged. Action (18531856) and the American Civil War shots were very difficult to achieve. By the time (18611865). During the American Civil War, of the First World War, advancements in Mathew Brady emerged as the world’s first technology led to the availability of small, professional war photographer. Brady led a team portable cameras and flexible film with shorter of photographers, equipped with mobile dark exposure times. This allowed professional and rooms, to create a visual record of the war. amateur photographers to carry cameras closer to the fighting than ever before, and even to capture action shots. EVOLUTION/DEVELOPMENT Upon the outbreak of the First World War, Captain Henry E. Knobel, Captain Ivor Castle British Army commanders disapproved of any and Lieutenant William Rider-Rider were kind of photography on or near the battlefield, Canada’s official war photographers.
    [Show full text]
  • The History of Photography: the Research Library of the Mack Lee
    THE HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY The Research Library of the Mack Lee Gallery 2,633 titles in circa 3,140 volumes Lee Gallery Photography Research Library Comprising over 3,100 volumes of monographs, exhibition catalogues and periodicals, the Lee Gallery Photography Research Library provides an overview of the history of photography, with a focus on the nineteenth century, in particular on the first three decades after the invention photography. Strengths of the Lee Library include American, British, and French photography and photographers. The publications on French 19th- century material (numbering well over 100), include many uncommon specialized catalogues from French regional museums and galleries, on the major photographers of the time, such as Eugène Atget, Daguerre, Gustave Le Gray, Charles Marville, Félix Nadar, Charles Nègre, and others. In addition, it is noteworthy that the library includes many small exhibition catalogues, which are often the only publication on specific photographers’ work, providing invaluable research material. The major developments and evolutions in the history of photography are covered, including numerous titles on the pioneers of photography and photographic processes such as daguerreotypes, calotypes, and the invention of negative-positive photography. The Lee Gallery Library has great depth in the Pictorialist Photography aesthetic movement, the Photo- Secession and the circle of Alfred Stieglitz, as evidenced by the numerous titles on American photography of the early 20th-century. This is supplemented by concentrations of books on the photography of the American Civil War and the exploration of the American West. Photojournalism is also well represented, from war documentary to Farm Security Administration and LIFE photography.
    [Show full text]
  • This Thesis Has Been Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for a Postgraduate Degree (E.G
    This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. A Public Theology for Peace Photography: A Critical Analysis of the Roles of Photojournalism in Peacebuilding, with the Special Reference to the Gwangju Uprising in South Korea Sangduk Kim i ii I, Sangduk Kim, attests that this thesis has been composed by me, and that the work is my own, and that the work has not been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification. Sangduk Kim iii iv Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor Prof. Jolyon Mitchell for his continuous support of my PhD studies and related research, for his kindness, encouragement, and immense knowledge. His guidance helped me throughout the time of research and writing of this thesis. I could not have imagined having a better supervisor and mentor for my PhD study.
    [Show full text]
  • Civil War Photography and the Advent of Photographic Realism
    “A Terrible Fascination:” Civil War Photography and the Advent of Photographic Realism by Jarret Ruminski Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master’s of Arts in the History Program YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY May, 2007 “A Terrible Fascination:” Civil War Photography and the Advent of Photographic Realism Jarret Ruminski I hereby release this thesis to the public. I understand that this thesis will be made available from the OhioLINK ETD Center and the Maag Library Circulation Desk for public access. I also authorize the University or other individuals to make copies of this thesis as needed for scholarly research. Signature: ____________________________________________________________ Jarret E. Ruminski, Student Date Approvals: __________________________________________________________________ Dr. Diane Barnes, Thesis Advisor Date __________________________________________________________________ Dr. Martha Pallante, Committee Member Date ________________________________________________________ Dr. Thomas Leary, Committee Member Date __________________________________________________________________ Peter J. Kasvinsky, Dean of School of Graduate Studies and Research Date iii Abstract This thesis deals with the social, aesthetic, and historical significance of Civil War era photography, with special emphasis on Alexander Gardner’s photographs from the Battle of Antietam. My thesis argues that Antietam was a watershed moment in photography, for Gardner’s Antietam images represented the medium’s first step towards establishing its own unique photographic aesthetic. This new photographic aesthetic was firmly grounded in a literal realism that did not exist in other forms of representation, such as painting or engraving. This realism dispelled American ideological notions of God-sanctioned, pastoral innocence, and forced Americans to confront the savagery in their own midst. Apart from their aesthetic legacy, the Antietam images also gave birth to the separate medium of war photography, and represented the birth of photojournalism.
    [Show full text]
  • By the Time Roger Fenton Left England to Photograph the Crimean War In
    Roger Fenton and the Crimean War Roger Fenton was one of the first pioneers of war photography. The images he took covering the Crimean War, along with the letters he wrote to his family and the Manchester print-seller Thomas Agnew (who financed this expedition), are rich with explicit and implicit information documenting the conflict. The tone of the letters is noteworthy. Although they were edited when published in 1954, Fenton’s sense of humor and intrepid spirit are readily apparent. He assumed the voice of an almost jaunty world traveler witnessing a spectacle that alternately amazed, amused, and horrified him, that complicated but never confounded his efforts, and that, while it provoked periods of sadness, never aroused deep moral indignation. It has been suggested that Fenton’s experience in the Crimea was far less negative in part because he did not arrive until the spring of 1855, when the devastating winter was over and some improvements had been made in conditions. He also carried letters of introduction from Prince Albert, which guaranteed him exceptional access and privilege. While Times journalist William Howard Russell was barely tolerated as a result of his criticisms of English and French leaders in the war effort, everywhere Fenton turned he received support and assistance from the highest- ranking officers in the region. Aided by an assistant and a handyman, Fenton began photographing within a few days of his March 8, 1855 landing at the port of Balaklava. Using two cameras, he worked diligently for three months, making more than 350 negatives. His purpose on this trip was to create a commercially viable portfolio of photographs aimed at the upper levels of British society.
    [Show full text]
  • Civil War Photography and Its Impact from 1863-1993
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 370 593 IR 055 046 AUTHOR Seels, Jody M.; Seels, Barbara A. TITLE Civil War Photography and Its Impact from 1863-1993. PUB DATE 93 NOTE 11p.; In: Visual Literacy in the Digital Age: Selected Readings from the Annual Conference of the International Visual Literacy Association (25th, Rochester, New York, October 13-17, 1993); see IR 055 055. PUB TYPE Historical Materials (060) Speeches/Conference Papers (150) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Civil War (United States); Editing; Photographic Equipment; *Photographs; Photography; *Photojournalism; *Reprography; *Technological Advancement; *United States History IDENTIFIERS *Digitizing ABSTRACT The United States Civil War was the first American war to be documented extensively by photographs, and these photographs have had tremendous impact and importance. During thewar and immediately following, the cost and difficulty of reproducing photographs limited their appeal. Economic pressures actually caused Matthew Brady, the most famous photographer of the Civil War, to sell his collection to the War Department. The invention of the half-tone process, which enabled mass reproduction of photographs, renewed public interest in photography and gave historians readyaccess to photographic materials. As Civil War survivors died, photographs became vital records of detail and lent a feeling of timelessnessto the works they illustrated. The ease with which photographsmay now be edited through digitized methods means that it is increasingly important to establish the history
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to Photography
    Edited with the trial version of Foxit Advanced PDF Editor To remove this notice, visit: www.foxitsoftware.com/shopping Introduction to Photography Study Material for Students : Introduction to Photography CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN MEDIA WORLD Mass communication and Journalism is institutionalized and source specific. It functions through well-organized professionals and has an ever increasing interlace. Mass media has a global availability and it has converted the whole world in to a global village. A qualified journalism professional can take up a job of educating, entertaining, informing, persuading, interpreting, and guiding. Working in print media offers the opportunities to be a news reporter, news presenter, an editor, a feature writer, a photojournalist, etc. Electronic media offers great opportunities of being a news reporter, news Edited with the trial version of editor, newsreader, programme host, interviewer, cameraman,Foxit Advanced producer, PDF Editor To remove this notice, visit: director, etc. www.foxitsoftware.com/shopping Other titles of Mass Communication and Journalism professionals are script writer, production assistant, technical director, floor manager, lighting director, scenic director, coordinator, creative director, advertiser, media planner, media consultant, public relation officer, counselor, front office executive, event manager and others. 2 : Introduction to Photography INTRODUCTION The book will introduce the student to the techniques of photography. The book deals with the basic steps in photography. Students will also learn the different types of photography. The book also focuses of the various parts of a photographic camera and the various tools of photography. Students will learn the art of taking a good picture. The book also has introduction to photojournalism and the basic steps of film Edited with the trial version of development in photography.
    [Show full text]