|
Back Issues |
|
Arts
& Craft
Across
Great Distance ...
Let him who wishes to know what war is
Once again, we are taking a break from presenting the work of local artists this month to focus on one of the theme's of this month's issue -- The Civil War. Specifically, we thought we'd take a look at photography from the period. ... Background ...
There are any number of things about The Civil War, or The War of the Rebellion as it was more commonly known in the North, that stand out as unique. It was, of course, the first and only civil war fought among the States. It was a war that saw some of the first use of aerial surveillance, and, unfortunately, one of the first to see casualties on so large a scale, with some battles accounting for almost as much loss of American life in a single day as Korea or Viet Nam saw through the entire course of American involvement. And when all was over, more Americans had lost their lives in The Civil War than in WW I and WW II combined. But there is something that the war in Viet Nam and the American Civil War have in common. Like Viet Nam, America's first televised war, The Civil War was America's first photographed war. ... On the march and on the battlefields, in the hospitals and in the surgical tents, and amid the corpses or the ruins of numerous campaigns, it is estimated that some 1,500 photographers have recorded the people, places, and events of The Civil War. The Artists: Foremost among them has to be the photographer Mathew Brady. ... After studying daguerreotype in his spare time with Samuel F.B. Morse, Brady opened a studio by 1844. His main interest, as was common for the period, was portraiture. But Brady's natural talent had him quickly rise to the top of the field, and by 1856, he opened a studio in Washington, D.C., in order to be closer to the center of his self-proclaimed national purpose -- "to preserve the faces of its historic men and mothers." ... At this point, Brady's success, both artistically and financially, seemed assured. He had swtiched from daguerreotype to the newer wet-plate process when he was joined in his newer, larger gallery by Alexander Gardener, who had mastered wet plate while in Great Britain. As a result, while Brady had already had a steady stream of New York's elite coming to him, the new process enabled the studio and gallery staff to put out up to 30,000 portraits in a year, some of which would sell for as much as $750. But when the war broke out, he felt compelled to chronicle, not just 'the faces of its historic men', but the events themselves. Friends tried to talk him out of it, but he would have none of their caution and set out on a journey that would eventually bankrupt him, yet would leave a lasting mark upon both photography and the national consciousness.
The fact is, while many photos from the war were attributed to Brady, he actually managed a studio of photographers. Among the principal ones, Alexander Gardner, who was responsible for numerous photographs, including a fairly famous sequence at Antietam. Another indefatigable soul was Timothy H. O'Sullivan, who captured scenes from Manassas, Gettysburg, and Fredericksburg, among others. ... Of course, many of the photographs that have come down to us have not only unknown subjects, but unknown artists behind the lens. ... But the American Civil War was not a war captured only in photography. ... O'Sullivan, for example, also photographed Alfred R. Waud, a Harper's Weekly artist, sketching on the battlefield at Gettysburg. ... Nor would photography ever take over the chronicling of war entirely, as attested to by the work of someone like Bill Maudlin during WW II, with his famous cartoon-like sketches for Yank. ... The Medium
As we mentioned, Brady was one of the first to go over from daguerreotype to the newer wet-plate process. When it was first introduced {and still} the daguerreotype was considered remarkable for the detail of its image. There were, however, a few drawbacks: First, the copper plate upon which daguerreotype positives were to be recorded had to be specially coated then used, usually within the hour. Secondly, as a direct positive process, the daguerreotype always produced a single, irreproducible image. Finally, the chemicals used in daguerreotype processing were not among the most healthy, including bromine, chlorine, and mercury that had to be heated to 75șC. In contrast, the newer wet plate process, also known as the collodion process, had the distinct advantage of combining something close to the detail of the daguerreotype, but with reproducible plates. Prior to collodion, attempts had been made to find some alternative. What was needed was a coating that would be clear, yet adhere to glass. To coat such plates, Albumen had been in use for a while. But the exposure times were unbelievable long, as much as 5-15 minutes. Then, ironically, during the Crimean War, collodion -- a concoction of guncotton dissolved in ether and alcohol -- had been discovered. It was found to be an extremely suitable method for covering and dressing wounds to keep them from becoming infected. But for photographic purposes, two of its other properties proved of greater interest: When it dried, it dreid to a clear, thin film. Probably the greatest advantage of the new wet plate process was the dramatically reduced exposure times -- down to as little as 2-3 seconds. Moreover, with a glass base now more practical, images were sharper , approaching the daguerreotype. Obviously, printing on paper was also considerably less expensive than printing on copper plates. And finally, since the process was never patented, its use spread widely at relatively lower costs. All this combined then to make the photographic recording of The Civil War possible. Brady, armed with years of experience and with Gardener at his side, assembled large teams of photographers, as well as a train of wagons and gear. The RESULTS
Technically, at least for the period, the results were remarkable for their detail, as well as for the ability to produce multiple prints from a single plate. ... But the real point here has more to do with the impact these photographs made on the national psyche. Like any war, the images themselves are not only those of gruesome battle scenes. There are portraits, which remained a favorite and continues to do so to this day. There are the occasional pastoral scenes. There are the scenes of medical volunteers tending to the sick and wounded. But make no mistake. There are also the more gruesome images, as well, images which had an almost immediate impact on those back home in the North. ... The quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes at the beginning of this piece is one such example. It was in response to a New York showing of some of the Brady Studio photographs early on in the war. And as it suggests, many felt as if they were seeing the war now at first hand, and some of the sights they saw seemed anything but glorious. ... Photography, then, was about to change, once and for all, the more romanticized visions of war and battle that had come down through the ages. And in light of some of these images, as well as in the emblematic nature of them for the tremendous number of casualties suffered on both sides, it is surprising that it was not The Civil War that was called The War to End All Wars. ... Where to See the Work: Many of these images are part of national collections at the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and other sources cited elsewhere in this issue {see, for example, Links to Books & Lit On-Line: The Civil War in Images, Music & Words}. Bur for now, we invite you to take a look at them in this month's DownStreet Gallery. lmc .. E ******* ******* If you know of any artists or craftsmen/-women whose work you think deserves attention, don't hesitate to let us know. Simply e-mail us at arts@downstreetmagazine.com. ... And just in case you were wondering,
self-promotion is acceptable. ... If you would like to advertise in this section, or throughout the magazine, please visit our Advertising Info Pages ... or call, write, or e-mail ads@downstreetmagazine.com. ******* ******* . |
|
*******
******* ******* ******* For more information, contact DownStreet Magazine by ...
Phone
(802) 453-5124 All
material copyrighted © 2000-2001. All rights
reserved. |
