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Civil War Photography and Its Impact from 1863-1993

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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 of each photograph and torecord any changes made. (Contains 26 references.) (SLD) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best thatcan be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** U.S. DEPARTMENT OFEDUCATION and Improvement Office of Educational Research INFORMATION EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES CENTER (ERIC) been reproduced aS C This document has received from the person ororganization originating a been made to improve (7. Minor changes have reproduction quality Points of urn* of opinionsStated al this docu. ment do not necessarilyrepresent official OERI position or policy Civil War Photography and Its Impact from 1863-1993 by Jody See Is Barbara A. Seels University of Pittsburgh 4A16 Forbes Quandrangle Pittsburgh, PA 15260 "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCETHIS MATERIAL HAS BEENGRANTED BY Alice Walker BEST COPY AVARARIE TO THE EDUCATIONALRESOURCES 2 INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC1" Civil War Photography and its Impact from 1863-1993 Jody M. See Is Barbara A. See ls Since its invention in 1839, photography seethe actual images of people, places, has been an integral part of recording events objects, and events long since gone. thathavesince becomehistory. Understanding a nation's participation in wars The Civil War was not the first war to is an important part of understanding its utilize photography. In 1920, a set of about people and character. The United States Civil sixty anonymous photographic plates from the War was the first American war to be Mexican War (1846-1848) was discovered. extensivelydocumented byphotographs. The Britishuse of photographyinthe Although the use of photography had limited Crimean War was an important influence on effect during the conflict, the photographs photographers at the start of the American have had tremendous impact and importance Civil War. Roger Fenton, the premier in the over 100 years since the event. The photographer of the Crimea, proved that war lack of the technology necessary for efficient photography in the field was possible. The reproduction of photographs during, and majority of photographs taken in the Crimea immediately after, the Civil War impeded the were of officers, camp life and the common use ofphotographyforeffective soldier.Because they were intended to be communication.With the invention of the shown totheroyalfamily,fewgrisly half-toneprocess,which enabledmass- photographs were taken. However, Fenton's reproduction of photographs, public interest in publishedphotographshelpedconvince the photographs was renewed. Historians and Americanphotographersthattherewas scholars at last began to realize the historical business potential for war photographs. value of the photographs. Since1866, countless books, magazines, documentaries, There were a number of technological and movies haveused photographsto advances in photography prior to the Civil communicatt. to the general public why the War. In1851, Frederick Scott Archer Civil War is such an important part of inventedthewet-plateprocesswhich America's history.Photography has been a shortenedexposuretime;however, key to this understanding.It constitutes a reproduction was still impractical and costly. host of visual primary sources that allowus to Thewet-plateprocessrequiredon-site development, thus leading to the development nf "whatsit wagons," the traveling darkrooms describes how battlefield photographs shocked used by the photographers of the Civil War. the American public. Photography had a limited impact during The livingthatthrong the war because the necessary technologies Broadway care little perhaps that increased its impact had not yet been for the Dead at Antietam, but developed. Portrait photography was widely we fancy they would jostle viewed and popular. By the start of the war, less carelessly down the great Mathew Brady had well established studios in thoroughfare, saunter less at both New York and Washington,and their ease, were a few dripping numerous lesser known portrait studios were bodies, fresh from the field, found throughout the country.Prominent laid along the pavement...As it figures from all aspects of society posed for is, the dead of the battlefield Brady. Collections of the photographs in the come to us very rarely, even in form of "cartes de visite" (small portraits dreams. We see the list in the giveninplaceofcallingcards)and morning paper at breakfast, but stereoscopic views became the rage. When dismiss itsrecollection with war broke out, many soldiers visited these thecoffee. Thereisa studios to have inexpensive photographs, confused mass of names, but called "tintypes," taken of themselves to send theyareallstrangers; we home to their loved ones as remembrances. forget the horrible significance In return, families of soldiers would have that dwells amid the jumble of their portraits taken and sent to the soldiers to tYPe... comfort them. Photographs were even used MR. BRADY hasdone on campaign buttons,including one of something to bring home to us Lincoln which prompted him to say, "Brady the terriblereality and and the Cooper Union [speech] made me earnestness of war.If he has president."[1] not brought bodies and laid them in our dooryards and In the field, photography of the war was along the streets, he has done significantly more difficult. something very like it. At the Theequipmentwaslargeandbulky. door of hisgallery hangs a Sensitizing chemicals and large numbers of little placard, "The Dead of glass plates had to be transported. Groups of Antietam." Crowds of people photographers could be found following the are constantly going up the armies to battle The exposure time for wet- stairs; follow them and you plate negatives, anywhere from 10 to 30 find thembending over seconds, was so long that action shots could photographic views of that not be taken; therefore, photographers were fearfulbattle-field, taken restricted to photographing the aftermath with immediately after the action. its corpse-strewn battlefields, bloated bodies, Of all objects of horror one and rows of dead soldiers. would think the battle-field should stand preeminent, that This New York Times review of Mathew it should bear away the palm Brady's 1863 exhibition on Antietam of repulsiveness.But on the 4 contrary, thereis a terrible greatly influenced by the photographs during fascination about it that draws the war because they did not see them. one near these pictures, and makes him loth to leave them. In general, the public's perception of the You will see hushed, reverent significance of the photographs did not groups standing around these increase in the period immediately following weirdcopiesofcarnage, the war.The people's desire to forget the bending down to look in the war further hindered the use of photographs pale faces of the dead, chained as communication. by the strange spell that dwells in dead men's eyes.It seems But interest in the war did somewhat singular thatthe wane almost Lmmediately after. same sun that looked down on Appomattox. Perhapsthe thefacesofthe slain, market had been saturated by blistering them, blotting out energetic purveyors of these from the bodies all semblance images. Morelikely, to humanity, and hastening Americans preferred not to corruption, should have thus remember the conflict they caughttheirfeaturesupon saw in the brutal reality of the canvas,and given them photograph. Very soon myth perpetuity for ever. But so it and romanticism took the place is.[2] of remembered fact. And the photosthemselveswere These photographs were among the first forgotten,misplaced,or images to show war from a realistic rather deliberately destroyed. [4] than a romantic view.Exhibitions, such as Brady's, drew large audiences.Yet, these Alexander Gardner compiled and released images had limited impact because they could his Photographic Sketch Book of the Civil onlybereproducedinnewspapersas War in 1866, with photographs taken
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