|
Photography was little
more than two decades old before the first cannons fired at Fort
Sumter in 1861. During this time, interest in the medium
grew so fast that by the start of the Civil War, thousands of
young soldiers were flocking to their local photography studios
to get their "likeness's" taken. Full of pride and
excitement, they obviously wanted to leave a lasting memento of
themselves, in their fancy new uniforms, for family and friends.
The power of this new art form quickly
grew as the war progressed. Its ability to affect people
and cultures was unlike anything that had occurred before.
After the battle of Antietam, for example, a public exhibition
of battlefield photographs showing the horrible death and gore
of war traveled around the North. Attended by
thousands, one New York reporter wrote, "Mr. Brady has done
something to bring home to us the terrible reality and
earnestness of war. If he has not brought bodies and laid
them in our door-yards and along streets, he has done something
very like it."
This gruesome exhibition showcasing
dramatic images of death and destruction had a pronounced effect
on public opinion. No longer could battlefields be
considered distant places of romantic adventure. The
public was coming to understand, with the aid of the
ever-developing photographic lens, the true brutality of
"modern" warfare.
It is estimated that over 3,000
photographers were operating in the United States (mainly in the
North) by the end of the war. In 1862, the Federal
Government officially noticed the rapid rise of this new
profession and sought to tap into its income potential by
forcing all professional photographers to purchase an annual
license costing either $10, $15, or $25 (the license amount was
determined by the amount of business done during the year).
In April 1863, an income-ravenous
Confederate Government also started forcing southern
photographers to pay an annual fee of $50 plus a two and a half
percent tax on total sales.
Despite rising expenses and heavy
competition, civil war photography flourished. It is
estimated that over 1 million portraits and images were taken
during the war years. The majority of these pictures,
particularly of battle and camp scenes, are of Federal forces
and civilians. This is because the Federal Army allowed
photographers to travel with their Armies; the South did not.
Southern photography was also limited,
especially as the war progressed, by a growing lack of
photographic plates and necessary chemicals. While some
Northern photographers smuggled these materials to their
southern counterparts, it was not on a very large scale.
Despite these limitations, a fair
number of Southern images survive to present times.
Combined with an abundance of Federal images, this photographic
record allows us a rare view of a distant event that, perhaps
more than any other event, helped shape who and what we are
today.
Article by Kelley St.
Germain
|
