Photography of the civil war
History Presentation Essay
The American Civil War was not the first war to be photographed, that honour goes to photographer Roger Fenton in 1855 who took pictures of the Crimean war, but it was considered the first major conflict to be extensively photographed. Some historians even argue that people know more about the American Civil War than any other war, up to World War Two because of the vast amount of photographs taken during this time. Not only did fearless photographers venture onto the war torn battlefields, but the very images that they captured were then widely displayed and sold in large amounts nationwide. Photographers such as Mathew Brady discovered eager audiences for his images as America 's interests were rocked by this shockingly realistic medium. For the first time in history, citizens from the comfort of their own homes could view the reality of the carnage of war and its faraway battlefields. Some experts even say that the biggest impact of Civil War photos was that this explosion of images changed the way the public perceived the war by turning people, removed from the fighting, into eye witnesses of the bloodshed, in other words, Civil War photographs removed much of the supposed romance that surrounded warfare. The people were able to witness the horrific conditions that the soldiers had to face, not just from the viciousness of battle, but to the very poorly maintained field hospitals; where disease from poorly treated wounds would kill just as many soldiers as the battlefield itself.
One of the most famous photographers of the civil war was Mathew Brady. Mathew was born in New York around 1822 and would grow up to become one of the most celebrated 19th century American photographers, he became best known for his portraits of celebrities and his photographic documentation of the American Civil War. He is credited as being the father of photojournalism. The New York Times on Oct. 20, 1862 even wrote, during Brady 's New York photo
The American Civil War was not the first war to be photographed, that honour goes to photographer Roger Fenton in 1855 who took pictures of the Crimean war, but it was considered the first major conflict to be extensively photographed. Some historians even argue that people know more about the American Civil War than any other war, up to World War Two because of the vast amount of photographs taken during this time. Not only did fearless photographers venture onto the war torn battlefields, but the very images that they captured were then widely displayed and sold in large amounts nationwide. Photographers such as Mathew Brady discovered eager audiences for his images as America 's interests were rocked by this shockingly realistic medium. For the first time in history, citizens from the comfort of their own homes could view the reality of the carnage of war and its faraway battlefields. Some experts even say that the biggest impact of Civil War photos was that this explosion of images changed the way the public perceived the war by turning people, removed from the fighting, into eye witnesses of the bloodshed, in other words, Civil War photographs removed much of the supposed romance that surrounded warfare. The people were able to witness the horrific conditions that the soldiers had to face, not just from the viciousness of battle, but to the very poorly maintained field hospitals; where disease from poorly treated wounds would kill just as many soldiers as the battlefield itself.
One of the most famous photographers of the civil war was Mathew Brady. Mathew was born in New York around 1822 and would grow up to become one of the most celebrated 19th century American photographers, he became best known for his portraits of celebrities and his photographic documentation of the American Civil War. He is credited as being the father of photojournalism. The New York Times on Oct. 20, 1862 even wrote, during Brady 's New York photo
References: Davis, W. Pohanka, B. Troiani, D. (1999). Civil War Journal: The Legacies. Rutledge Hill Press. Tennessee http://americanart.si.edu/education/pdf/civil_war_photo.pdf last accessed Thursday 24th October 2013 Jardine, A. (2013). Photography and the American Civil War. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York http://cwbtours.com/blog/2012/12/12/the-importance-of-images last accessed Thursday 24th October 2013