This week, we will be reading Susan Sontag’s Regarding the Pain of Others. This book was Sontag’s final publication before her death in 2004 and explores the visual representations of violence through war photography. For my Context Research Presentation, I have chosen to focus on the first major conflict to be extensively photographed: the American Civil War from 1861 to 1865.
Capturing such gruesome conflict and sharing the images on a national scale led civilians to, for the first time, have a fairly accurate understanding of the horrors of war. Photographers were employed by the Union and Confederate governments as well as independently to, for the first time, document these horrific events. War photography in the nineteenth century was quite the noble pursuit, seeing as it required them to haul their massive amount of gear into the battlefield; according to the American Battlefield Trust, they utilized wet-plate photography, “a process in which an image is captured on chemically coated pieces of plate glass. This was a complicated process done exclusively by photographic professionals…All of the chemicals used in the process had to be mixed by hand, including a mixture called collodion. Collodion is made up of several types of dangerous chemicals including ethyl ether and acetic or sulfuric acid. The photographer began the process of taking a photograph by positioning and focusing the camera. Then, he mixed the collodion in preparation for the wet-plate process” (n.d).
Given the extensive process required to capture an image during the Civil War, it was impossible for photographers to snap action shots, and instead were left to photograph “camp scenes, strategic sites, preparations for or retreat from action, and, on rare occasions, the grisly aftermath of battle” (Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2004). Despite this, though, the War still gave way to a crucial influx of a new generation of photographers and photography alike. Names like Matthew B. Brady, Alexander Gardner, and James F. Gibson gained widespread popularity as their groundbreaking work shattered the known limits of photography (National Archives, n.d).
The Civil War exposed the horrific injustices that plague our country and those working to maintain the status quo. Through the work of Matthew B. Brady whose “name is synonymous with Civil War photography” alongside many others, we are able to understand the magnitude of this conflict two centuries later. I am looking forward to finishing this week’s reading in order to grow in my understanding of the terrors of war and the importance of photojournalism and honest storytelling.
Above is a photo of a Civil War camp captured by the iconic Matthew B. Brady, the father of photojournalism.
Shown above is a photo of a camera from the Civil War using wet-plate technology. These cameras are obviously very sizable, making it a huge ordeal to lug them onto the battlefield.
Works Cited
Hi Addy,
Thank you for this blog post, I genuinely found it to be so interesting. I always wondered how they were able to get these photographs during the civil war. It is crazy how much of a process it was, and added on top of that was the danger of being out there while a battle was happening. I find it fascinating to also think how both sides used their photographs as a way of showing their side of the story. Photos can show a lot and can be manipulated to give the audience a different interpretation of an event. We are so fortunate to have these pictures because they really help give a better understanding of what war actually looks like.
I had never known that the American Civil War was so extensively photographed, so this was quite interesting to hear about. I have to wonder how this impacted the public’s perception not only of this individual war, but also of war in general now that they can see it clearly. Though it may also be that the photographers avoided showing too much of the horrors of war in order to keep public support of the war.
Hi Addy,
Thank you for sharing this research presentation. The point you discussed is really interesting. We always analyze history by viewing the picture. However, we seldomly focus on the photographers and how much dangers they should face when they took a photo. The content in your presentation can help me get a more comprehensive understanding of the article.
Hi Addy,
Thank you for sharing this important background on photography in the early Civil War times. It helps to show just how much effort was needed to capture such important images during these times, as the pictures reflect the mood, the scenes, and the aftermath of these critical battles and camping grounds. It shows the people of today just how much the idea of war has changed, and offers evidence that these battles happened and what led up to them.
Hi Addy,
Your presentation on photography in the Civil War times was very well thought out and very well executed. I really enjoyed reading more about these times as well as all about the emphasis on photographs especially. The pictures show what words cannot and that is genuine emotion on the faces of those involved. This presentation really helped me to understand more on this topic.
Hi Addy, your topic of this context research is good. Thanks for giving me information on the photography technology at the time of the Civil War, it was really not easy for people at that time to record a war due to the complex process of operation. You provided us with the detailed introduction of that process. Same as you, I am also looking forward to further understand the importance of peace through the reading.
Hi Addy,
I really enjoyed reading your presentation! It was very interesting to learn that war photography had so many factors to take into account and that there was a difficult process that they had to go through to take pictures at that time period. It is fascinating to see how far we have come with technology to be able to capture more images, but we can also clearly see how photography can be manipulated to a certain perception.
Hey Addy,
That was really interesting to hear about photography during the Civil War. It really is incredible the amount of effort it took to capture these moments. Not to mention the battling/danger going on all around. However, if it had not been for the brave people going out and capturing these moments, we would never truly understand what it was like back then. I really enjoyed learning about the process you presented.
Hi Addy,
I really enjoyed reading your post. It was very interesting to learn about the processes and efforts they had to endure to capture these moments to share with others, and generations to come. It also made me consider the danger and risk they faced to make it happen. Additionally, seeing things like this puts other things into perspective. Thank you for sharing what you found with us!
Hey Addy!
This context presentation was amazing! I really enjoyed learning about photography during the Civil War. Thanks so much for posting!!
Hi Addy,
I never really knew how pictures were processed during this time so that was the most interesting part for me. It is interesting each army employed photographers which could potentially give some propaganda for the photos. I think pictures of the aftermath of the battles is the most powerful.