Photography

= Photography of the Civil War =

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Overview
The Civil War (1860-1863) was the first major war in history that had the ability to use photography. Although photos of previous American wars do exist, the Civil War is considered to be the first major conflict extensively photographed. Considering the photography was a fairly new invention at this time it was used a lot. It wasn't uncommon to see photo tents set up at camp sites where soldiers could get their portraits taken and send their photographs home to their families. Photography gave soldiers a visual link to their families that was never possible in any other previous American war. Portraiture was not the only form of photography used however. Battle photography was another main form of photography where the photographers would go onto the battle field and get pictures of the conflict.Getting out on the battle field took a long time, but at this time so did developing a photo. Photography during the Civil War helped show civilians the horrible things that were happening in their country at that time, but also kept them attached to family members that were fighting. After the Civil War it helped historians accurately recount the events of the War and today it provides us with a visual perspective that would not be possible otherwise. Photography revolutionized conflict in general and the Civil War was the start of that.

Portraiture
Portraiture was the part of Civil War photography that helped soldiers connect with their families. They were now able to send portraits of themselves home so their families would have a visual connection with them when they were away fighting. Nowadays we have things like cellphones and video chat so photography doesn't seem like a big deal but before the civil war they only had letters, which only gave them a very limited amount of contact, so being able so see their loved one in any way was a very big deal for them. Portrait stands were set up at Union and Confederate camps all across the country where newly-enlisted soldiers could get their pictures taken. Most soldiers at most camps would enjoy getting there pictures taken, either to send to their families or keep as a memoir. Although this was a great thing gor the soldiers, it was a new form of business for the photographers. As the war progressed and the demand for soldiers continued to grow the business of portraiture began to thrive. Portraiture became a very popular form of photography by the end of the war.

Battle Photos
Battle Photos, unlike portraiture, were actually battles of the conflict. Photographers would do their best to get photographs of battles and would attempt to get as close as they could to the actual conflict. Battle photography was a very difficult, dangerous, and time consuming process that photographers took pride in being able to do. Photographers had to bring all of their equipment including a darkroom with them by wagon as they followed each regiment. We have more photos of battles that were fought in the North, such as Antietam and Gettysburg, because it was closer to civilization and therefore easier to get their equipment to. Because this process was so difficult, very few photographers would actually photograph the conflict as it was happening, but would wait for the aftermath and then venture onto the field. In 1862 Alexander Gardner photographed the aftermath of Antietam and stunned the world with many pictures of the mangled bodies.

Photography Process
During the Civil War, photographers used what was known as the Wet-Plate Photographic Process. This was the process used to create a plate-glass negative. Once the negative was created it could then be printed and distributed. media type="custom" key="18778710" //Rob Gibson demonstrates how photos would have been developed during// //the civil war.//
 * 1) First, collodion was used to coat the plate glass in order to sensitize it to light.
 * 2) In a darkroom, the plate was then immersed in silver nitrate, placed in a light-tight container, and inserted into the camera.
 * 3) Next, the cap on the camera was removed for two to three seconds, exposing it to light and imprinting the image on the plate.
 * 4) Replacing the cap, the photographer immediately took the plate, still in the light-tight container, to his darkroom, where he developed it in a solution of pyrogallic acid.
 * 5) A mixture of sodium thiosulfate fixed the photograph so that the image would not fade. After washing and drying the plate with water, the photographer coated it with a varnish to protect the surface.

Effects of Photography During the Civil War
Photography during the Civil War did a number of things for society. Portraiture helped connect soldiers and their families, battle photos helped the general public understand war to the best of their ability, and it gave people a whole new way of capturing the memories of the Civil War. It connected the America to the current events in a way that was never possible before and allowed society to understand true battle for the very first time.

Effects of Photography After the Civil War
Photography from the Civil War changed the way people envisioned battle and photography. The iconic images of the Civil War would inspire other photographers to get involved with combat photography and instil in us the image of 'war' that we know today. It would inspire photographs to go to all corners of the earth and capture moments from Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq and try to help everyone in the world do what they began attempting to do during the Civil War, understand the intensity of war. The fundamental effects weren't the only effects of photography post Civil War. In order to get more battle photographs of the actual conflict and not just the aftermath, photography equipment had to be much smaller and more portable. The Civil War revolutionized cameras and photography equipment in order to allow photographers to get to places and conflicts faster. Because of this we now have photos from battles and wars all across the world and our society is getting increasingly more connected to everything that is happening.

Websites

 * 1) Hudsbed, Ruth. "Photography and the Civil War." Civil War Trust. Civil War Research Project. Web. 26 May 2012. 
 * 2) Coswel, David. "Center for Civil War Photography." Center for Civil War Photography. CCWP. Web. 26 May 2012. .
 * 3) Kinsel, Amy J. "Civil War photography." In Waugh, John, and Gary B. Nash, eds.Encyclopedia of American History: Civil War and Reconstruction, 1856 to 1869, Revised Edition (Volume V). New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2010. American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?
 * 4) Department of Photographs. "Photography and the Civil War, 1861–1865". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/phcw/hd_phcw.htm (October 2004)
 * 5) Niller, Eric. "How Civil War Photography Changed War." Discovery News. 11 Apr. 2011. Web. 28 May 2012. .
 * 6) "LSU Libraries Special Collections: The United States Civil War Center." LSU Libraries Special Collections: The United States Civil War Center. Web. 28 May 2012. .

Images

 * 1) Adelmen, Gary. Developing plate glass image. Digital image. Photography and the Civi War. Civil War Trust. Web. .
 * 2) Askew, William S., Pvt.1st Georgia Regiment, Co. A., CSA. Digital image. Portraits of Named Civil War Soldiers. 12 Feb. 2002. Web. .
 * 3) Engineers of the 8th N.Y. State Militia, 1861. No. Ill-B-499. Cropped from Select List # 5. Digital image. Government Archives. National Archives and Records Administration. Web. <http://www.archives.gov/research/military/civil-war/photos/>.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gardner, Alexander. Battle of Gettysburg. Digital image. Wikimedia Commons. Library of Congress, 3 June 2005. Web. 26 May 2012. <Incidents of the war. A harvest of death, Gettysburg, PA. Dead Federal soldiers on battlefield. Negative by Timothy H. O'Sullivan. Positive by Alexander Gardner.>.
 * 5) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Miller, Francis Trevelyan. Mathew Brady's Photographs. Digital image. Wikimedia Commons. 14 Apr. 2010. Web. 24 May 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mathew_Brady_%26_Ambrose_Burnside,_1863.jpg>.
 * 6) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Soldier in Afghanistan. Digital image. A Veterans Perspective. Web. <http://masscasualties.com/2011/05/afghanistan-war/>.

Videos
All Research Notes Have Been Shared Via Google Docs With Mr.Mejail
 * 1) //Civil War Era Glass Plate Photography Demonstration//. Perf. Rob Gibson. //CSPAN//. Nation Press Club, 7 June 2011. Web. 28 May 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U1m5n-gwY8>.

For more information on general photography during the Civil War click here For more information about portraiture click here For more information about battle photography click here For more information about effects of photography click here

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