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 With the outbreak of the Civil War in America,
photographers followed the solders to the battlefields to record and
document the victories and the devastation. The American Civil War marked an
important milestone in photographic history. Because of its duration and the
large number of photographers making images, the Civil War came to be
visualized as no previous war had been. An officer posed in front of his
tent, a soldier posed with a tattered Union flag, the ruins of a once
prosperous bank: These are a few of the photographs that brought the look
and feel of war to the home folks. These photographs left a lasting visual
photographic record that is unprecedented in extent and scope. Due of the
lack of photographic materials in the South, most of these photographs are
by photographers that traveled with the Union Army.
 The Griffin Museum of Photography organized “Landscapes of the Civil
War,” an exhibition featuring 92 rare, original photographs depicting the
stark reality of death and damage during the American Civil War. Discovered
in the attic of the Medford (Massachusetts) Historical Society in 1990, the
photographs are part of one of the largest and most distinguished
collections in the nation. The exhibit includes eight newly discovered
images that had never before been viewed publicly.
The exhibition images were selected from
more than 5,400 photographs collected by General Samuel Crocker Lawrence
after the war. Famed Civil War photographers Mathew Brady, Alexander
Gardner, Timothy O’Sullivan, George Barnard, and Arthur Russell are among
the photographers included. The works of several unknown Northern
photographers are also represented.
“The pristine quality of these images
brings the horror and tragic consequences of the Civil War to life for the
viewer,” explained Paula Tognarelli, Executive Director of the Griffin Museum of
Photography. “The courage and gifted eye with which each of the
photographers approached his subject allows us, so many years later, to
begin to comprehend the devastation. The Medford Historical Society has
taken great care to maintain and preserve this treasure, and we are honored
that it has allowed us to share such rare and powerful images with the
public.”
In addition to the rarity of the subject matter, the images are
unusual in that they are all first generation photographs printed from
original glass plate negatives. The resulting sharpness, clarity, and
dimension accurately capture the brutal impact the war had on the land and
people.
Rental Fee:
$8,000
Booking
Period:
6 - 8 weeks
Contents:
92 framed photograph; piece labels; wall text
Size:
200 linear feet
Availability:
Now booking through 2011
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