Civil War Photography Mathew Brady

1822 january 15 1896 was an american photographer and one of the earliest in american history.

Civil war photography mathew brady. Morse who pioneered the daguerreotype technique in america. Brady is almost a synonym for civil war photography. Mathew brady 1822 96 was a well known 19th century american photographer who was celebrated for his portraits of politicians and his photographs of the american civil war 1861 65. Whenever the term war photographer is mentioned it s impossible not to think of the indelible images of world war two the spanish civil war and the war in vietnam.

He and his employees photographed thousands of images including battlefields camp life and portraits of some of the most famous. But if you want to find the godfather of the genre you have to go back to the 19th century and the american civil war when mathew brady pioneered not just war photography but photojournalism itself. Today we recognize mathew brady as a fundamental figure in war photography. Because wet plate collodion negatives required from 5 to 20 seconds exposure there are no action photographs of the war the name mathew b.

His photographs and those he commissioned had a tremendous impact on society at the time of the war and continue to do so today. Mathew brady also called mathew b. He eventually sold his work to congress for just 25 000 but remained deeply in debt at the time of his death in 1895. Mathew brady is often referred to as the father of photojournalism and is most well known for his documentation of the civil war.

He spent over 100 000 funding his project to document the american civil war producing over 10 000 plates that form the basis of civil war photography. During the civil war brady and his associates traveled throughout the eastern part of the country capturing the effects of the war through photographs of people towns and battlefields. Although brady himself actually may have taken only a few photographs of the war he employed many of the other well known photographers before and during the war. Mathew brady s documentation of the civil war was perhaps made possible by his previously existing relationship with abraham lincoln.

1823 near lake george new york u s died january 15 1896 new york new york well known 19th century american photographer who was celebrated for his portraits of politicians and his photographs of the american civil war. Brady opened his own studio in new york in 1844 and photographed andrew jackson john quincy adams and abraham lincoln among. Lincoln credited brady s portrait of him and his cooper union speech with his successful election.