Mathew Brady
Mathew Brady is known as the "father of journalism photography". He helped take ten thousand photos of the American Civil War and captured the truest situation of this bloodiest conflict.
In the bloody American Civil War era, a photographer named Matthew Brady was determined to bring the battlefield directly to the Americans. After obtaining permission from then-US President Abraham Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln), he did so. Matthew's photo was commented by " New York Times ": "He made us realize the terrible reality and gravity of war."
Over the years, Matthew's photos have become even more exciting. For Americans today, without these precious image records of him, they would not have seen the historical images of the United States more than a hundred years ago, which turned out to be so many civil war soldiers, battlefields, trenches, generals, prisoners, etc.
How Matthew Brady Becomes a Field Photographer
As shown above: It was around 1861, and this was the first photo of Federal Army in the battle.
As shown in the picture above: This flag shows the "33-star large star design", which was very popular during the American Civil War. However, it has never been used for official use.
As shown in the picture above: A group of people identified as the "170th New York Infantry Company", this regiment lost 227 people in the war.
Matthew Brady was born in 1823 or 1824 in Warren County, New York, and his growth was at the same time as photography. The first photo was taken around 1827, when French inventor Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre unveiled the veil of silver-print photography in 1839, and Matthew moved to New York the same year.
As shown in the picture above: On October 2, 1862, Abraham Lincoln and General George McClellan, commander of the Potomac Federal Army, sat at his headquarters in Antitum near Sharpsburg, Maryland. Lincoln urges George to attack Robert Edward Lee's troops, but George drags on. By November, Lincoln replaced George with General Ambrose Burnside.
As shown in the picture above: In addition to shooting leaders like Lincoln and Grant , Matthew also photographed Confederate generals like Robert Edward Lee. This photo of Robert is the last one from Brady's Civil War. On April 9, 1865, Robert surrendered at Appomatox Court in , Virginia, and returned to , Richmond , and Matthew followed him there. Two days after Lincoln's assassination, Robert agreed to take a photo with Matthew in the uniform he wore when Appomatox surrendered.
Matthew opened his own studio in New York in 1844. Five years later, he opened a gallery in Washington, D.C. There, he followed the development of photography technology and took photos of several outstanding Americans. In 1860, Matthew even took a photo of Lincoln without a beard a few months before he won the presidential election.
As shown in the picture above: It was around 1861, in Fredericksburg, Virginia, several bodies of Confederate soldiers were arranged in the trenches.
As shown in the picture above: The "Contraband Camp" in Richmond, Virginia, "Contraband" is actually a human being, an escaped slave who crosses the border and enters federal territory.
As shown in the picture above: A young soldier died in the trenches of Petersburg, Virginia. The Northern Federation and Confederate forces lost thousands of people in the battle near the city, which eventually led to a 292-day siege carried out by the Federal Army.
In November of that year, Lincoln's election changed Matthew's photography and the entire country. As southern states separated from the Union one by one, the entire United States entered a period of preparation for the Civil War, Matthew began to record the conflict.
As shown in the picture above: A soldier on the deck of an gunboat, probably the Mendota, the US Navy.
As shown in the picture above: It was around 1863, on Morris Island, a Northern Army soldier guarded a 180-pound cannon, which was used to bomb Charleston in South Carolina.
As shown in the picture above: Soldiers in Tottenburg, this castle was built between 1861 and 1863 to defend Washington, DC.
According to History magazine, Matthew later talked about his decision: "My wife and the most conservative friends did not agree with my shift from business to battlefield photo communication. I can only describe the dominance of my destiny, just like the Oufuryon in the ancient Greek mythology, I felt that I had to leave. The gods under my feet said, go, I'll go."
Photos of Matthew Brady during the Civil War
As shown in the picture above: It was about 1863, an African-American soldier of the 107th American infantry of color, posing with a rifle in Cochrenburg, Virginia.
As shown in the picture above: In this photo called "War of the Wild", you can see Matthew Brady standing on the far right of the picture.
As shown in the picture above: The soldiers sat in the trenches in Petersburg, Virginia.
The Battle of Virginia is the first showdown between Ulysses Simpson Grant and Robert Edward Lee. Although both sides eventually lost hundreds of people, they were eventually deadlocked.
As the National Park Service explained, Matthew's efforts to record the Civil War were very difficult. Although Matthew received approval from President Lincoln, he had to contribute his own funds, and he also hired a team of photographers such as Alexander Gardner and George Barnard to help him.
As shown in the picture above: A soldier identified as W.C. Arnold, a private of the Federal Army, with a photo not marked.
As shown in the picture above: Soldiers on the deck of the US Navy Morit on the James River in Virginia.
As shown in the figure above: the marching infantry company.
As shown in the picture above: The title of this "camp scene" is "Guarding the Confederate Prisoners of War". It is estimated that 12% of Confederate prisoners of war died in captivity by the Northern Federation Army, while 15.5% of privy war died in captivity by the Confederate corps.
Matthew and his men finally took more than 10,000 photos of the American Civil War, including the aftermath of the bloody Battle of Gettysburg . Although Matthew is not always behind the camera, History notes that he organized and funded expeditions, accompanied his photographers to the field, and arranged meetings with key leaders and generals.
As shown in the picture above: The officers of the 15th New York Engineer Regiment sat next to two flags, representing their regiment and the Federation.
As shown in the picture above: A fort in front of Petersburg, Virginia, the siege of Petersburg eventually led to the end of the Civil War. Confederate General Robert Edward Lee was forced to hand over the city to the Northern Federation in April 1865, and he surrendered soon after.
Matthew exhibited many photos in his gallery, including those taken by Alexander Gardner and James Gibson at the Battle of Antitum. The images of these soldiers dying on the battlefield shocked the Americans, and the New York Times commented: "If Matthew hadn't brought the body to our yard and the streets, he would do something similar."
As shown in the picture above: A group of soldiers stood around a cannon.
Although Matthew's photos have had a profound impact on almost everyone who has seen them, these photos did not bring him fame and fortune.
The last few days of the photographer's tragedy
As shown in the picture above: The soldiers on the fort are ready to go.
Maxiu invested $100,000 to film the Civil War, but after the conflict in this war ended, no one wanted to buy his photos. According to the New York Times, people's "appetite" for photos of the North-South Civil War has dropped sharply.
As shown in the picture above: General Ulysses Simpson Grant and his "eight staff officers". After
, Matthew struggled with debt for the rest of his life, although the U.S. authorities then eventually bought his collection for $75,000 in 1875. On January 15, 1896, he died pennilessly in his 70s. According to Congress Cemetery, his funeral was paid in part by the 7th Infantry Regiment of New York.
As shown in the above picture: In April or May 1865, Professor Mellefett and the Navy officers were engaged in the work of removing torpedo and obstacles in the James River after the war.
Although Matthew failed to live to the day when he saw his photography became famous, his photos later became priceless relics of the American Civil War. The pictures capture the heart of the conflict, from soldiers lying in trenches to generals leaning against trees to vast landscapes on battlefields where thousands of people lose their lives. Today, some even consider Matthew Brady the “father of journalism photography.”
As shown in the picture above: Ruins of Charleston, South Carolina, Mills Hotel can be seen in the background.
In this way, Matthew achieves his ultimate goal of showing the power of photography, despite being in financial trouble. As he himself once said: "My biggest goal has always been to promote the development of photography and make it the great and authentic historical medium I think I have."
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