“My greatest aim has been to advance the art of photography and to make it what I think I have, a great and truthful medium of history.” Matthew Brady
Matthew Brady: the man behind all of those Civil War photos; the man who convinced everyone to sit for him but the dead.
Almost no one smiled in Brady’s photographs. Smiles are elusive, too hard then to bottle. One of the things Mr. Wilson makes plain about Brady, however, is that he himself had a terrific smile. In his presence, one observer said, you felt “the light of an Irish shower sun.” THE NEW YORK TIMES
FUN NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY INTERACTIVE EXHIBIT
MATTHEW BRADY’S CIVIL WAR PHOTOGRAPHS
Author Adrienne Morris 
11 responses to “The Photographer Who Convinced Everyone To Sit For Him But The Dead”
Reblogged this on stuartshieldgardendesign.
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Thank you so much!
A
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Was fascinating
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Thanks for sharing. It turns out I have seen a lot of Brady’s pictures over the years…now that you have listed these links.
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It’s funny how much a part of our lives Brady’s images are in the US.
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The Civil War era has been one of my interests over the years, and I have always enjoyed Brady’s photographic record of it.
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Me, too–even before I knew who was responsible for some of the iconic photos. I don’t really believe in past lives but as you probably guessed I feel really connected to that period. 🙂
What sparked your interest first, Kate?
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Knowing that my family included Confederate General Braxton Bragg. My dad told me how he missed inheriting the General’s sword. It was promised to the first of his generation to go to war – my dad was the second! (Can you hear me gnashing my teeth? I have such a love of history, I would have loved to possess Bragg’s sword.). My great grandmother was a Bragg.
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I just love the name Braxton Bragg. Too bad about the sword.
My great-great-greats etc. all fought in the Rev. War. I can trace my long distant grandfather to the Battle at Lexington and Concord. Another was captured by the Brits and released after the war.
An uncle fought in the Civil War but I can’t remember if he died or not. If I had more time in life I’d spend all my time doing genealogy. It’s easy to become obsessed.
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Ah, Adrienne, too bad we can’t meet for coffee. The stuff we’d talk about! 😀
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I’d love that!
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