Sepia Saturday: Mathew Brady's Photographs
Mathew Brady was borne
Mathew Brady was the father
of modern photojournalism,
and most especially, the first photographer
to undertake documentation of the U.S. Civil War.
Pennsylvania 31st Infantry Camp (photo by Mathew Brady Studio) from Library of Congress
Historian and filmmaker
Ken Burns has said that his documentary
"The Civil War" could not have been made
were it not for Brady's amazing photographs.
Encampment at Brandy Station, Virginia. Generals George Meade,
John Sedgwick, and Robert O. Tyler with Staff Officers. February 1864. Library of Congress Collection.
John Sedgwick, and Robert O. Tyler with Staff Officers. February 1864. Library of Congress Collection.
Brady was said to be Abraham Lincoln's
favorite photographer and took photos
of the Lincoln family,
as well as photos of the execution
of those complicit in Lincoln's assassination.
The four condemned conspirators in the Lincoln Assassination await death on the gallows. July 7, 1865. Library of Congress Collection
Towards the end of his life,
Brady said of his photographs,
"No one will ever know what they cost me.
Some of them almost cost me my life."
Charleston, S.C. The Mills House, with adjacent ruins. April 1865.
Library of Congress Collection.
He died in 1896, penniless and unappreciated.
Comments
I had never seen that photo of the executions. Wow!
This makes me want to spend some time with "The Civil War" again. I haven't seen it since we had it on video tapes back in the 80s. It really is brilliant and definitely would never have been the same without Brady's photos. The soundtrack is pretty amazing too!
Kat