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.

FROM THE PUBLISHER