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Much of our image of the Civil War era comes from the photographs of Matthew Brady, and in Matthew Brady and the Image of History Mary Panzer, curator of photographs at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D. C., examines the work of this American icon. Brady, she writes, "used art to forge a relationship between photography and history, but when the memory of Brady the artist vanished, we came to accept his images as facts." Brady composed his photographs along classical models, always seeking the heroic in his subjects--who, until the advent of the Civil War, tended to be the business and social leaders who could afford his fees. Panzer's account of Brady's wartime work is especially revealing: where assistants like Timothy O'Sullivan and Alexander Gardner favored realistic studies of the dead in battle, Brady favored sweeping panoramas that obscured individual soldiers. For all that, it is Brady we remember as the man who, a contemporary journalist observed, "has done something to bring home to us the terrible reality and earnestness of war." The book is richly illustrated with the work of Brady and his carefully credited assistants, and it deserves a place in the library of anyone with an interest in 19th-century American history. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

this book is the last word -and best word- on Brady
This book is the last word -- and the best word-- on Brady. It is the perfect gift for the photography buff, the portrait buff. the civil war buff. The author has written a terrific text which places Brady in context. After reading the book and looking at the images you understand why Brady died flat broke--but yr heart breaks for him. ... Read more

Book Description

More than 350 photographs by Mathew Brady and his corps of cameramen, many of them never seen before, make this the most comprehensive collection of Civil War images ever published.

Mathew Brady is arguably the most widely hailed documentarian of America’s bloodiest conflict: the Civil War. He and his cameramen created an indelible record of bravery, suffering, and sacrifice. Exhibitions of Brady’s photographs helped to introduce Americans to the brutal realities of war, and he was a pioneer in the field of photojournalism by providing his battlefield scenes and portrait photographs to Harper’s and other weekly publications of the time for use as woodcuts.

Arranged by battle site and event, each of which is introduced by a brief explanatory essay, the volume offers carefully researched archival information about each image and its photographer. Photographs by Alexander Gardner, Timothy O’Sullivan, and James Gibson are among those included in this thoroughly documented collection.

Caption material includes Library of Congress digital order numbers; order numbers are also given for images from the National Archives. This information helps to make the volume a valuable resource for anyone interested in Civil War history or nineteenth-century photography. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A 'Must Have' book for every Civil War library
What an valuable tome, Surley one of the most impressive collections of Civil War images ever collected. The introductions to the twenty-one sections are very helpful for appreciating the 400+ haunting Brady photos. I especially enjoyed the Federal Navy section, with photos I had never seen before, although I've read and edited several publications about the Civil War. Included also is a very practical guide to acquiring copies of the photos. In has been ten years since the prolific George Sullivan presented his biography of Mathew Brady. It was worth the wait as we have here an award-winning work that should be in teh history section of every private and public library. Not one of the 450 pages is disappointing. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Over 300 Brady photos reproduced directly from original negatives. Photos, lively commentary on Jackson, Webster, Grant, Lee, Carnegie, Barnum, Lincoln, Battle Smoke, Death of Rebel Sniper, Atlanta Just After Capture, more.
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Reviews (1)

A gallery of fascinating photographs
Originally published in 1946, this is a terrific presentation of Civil War photos by the Matthew Brady team. Of special interest is the section reproducing Brady's post-war lantern slide lecture book, with unedited captions, for a program that was to have been presented at Carnegie Hall.

Roy Meredith's text covers Brady's pre-war career, with a large sampling of his portraits - including Lincoln - then takes up a chronological account, mostly of the Eastern Theater, as Brady & his team followed the armies in a wagon, processing their plates under terrible conditions. A large amount of photographs must have been ruined in the rain & mud. Brady mostly points his camera at the terrible aftermath of battle, at bodies & broken barricades, but there is one rare photo that may have been shot during Antietam. Brady is present at an out door gathering of Grant and his generals (Brady calls it a "War Council," but Grant never put his plans up for a vote. We see a defeated Lee, his great dignity intact. The Grand Review marches past. The Lincoln conspirators are hanged. Then we meet an arrogant Custer; a delegation of Native American chiefs; the curvaceous dancer, Laura Le Claire; Andrew Carnegie and finally, President Grant.

There are many books available of Civil War photographs. This one is excellent because it focuses on Brady. It's a large book - over 300 pages & 300 photos. Dover publishes fine books at bargain prices.

Bob Rixon ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Kids Discover, published by Kids Discover on July 1, 2000. The length of the article is 489 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Eyewitness News.(Brief Article)
Publication: Kids Discover (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2000
Publisher: Kids Discover
Volume: 10Issue: 6Page: 12

Article Type: Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description

Mathew Brady (1823-96) was the leading portraitist of his day whose flair for publicity helped turn his studio into a tourist destination. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Brady sent a corps of photographers to record the scenes, thus linking himself and his subjects to a heroic national narrative.

Other artists in this series include: Eugene Atget, Wynn Bullock, Julia Margaret Cameron, Joan Fontcuberta, David Goldblatt, Nan Goldin, Graciela Iturbide, Andre Kertesz, Dorothea Lange, Mary Ellen Mark, Joel Meyerowitz, Boris Mikhailov, Lisette Model, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Eadweard Muybridge, Eugene Richards, W. Eugene Smith, Shomei Tomatsu, Joel-Peter Witkin ... Read more