National Archives, Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs
Renowned photographer of the notable
Credited by many as the father of photojournalism, Mathew Brady is synonymous with the Civil War even though he did not make many of the photographs that bear his name. His ambitious effort to comprehensively document the conflict required Brady to employ a staff of field photographers and make purchases from private individuals. Although Brady was rarely the photographer behind the camera in the field, the historic collection he assembled was the first of its kind and secured his place as one of the most important photographers in U.S. history.
Before the Civil War, Brady was a nationally renowned photographer with studios in New York City and Washington, DC, that attracted many of the most famous figures of his time. Brady Studio’s public portraits of many of the mid-19th century’s most eminent citizens, like Abraham Lincoln, not only raised Brady’s profile as a photographer but also helped popularize the emerging technology for capturing a person’s likeness. This portrait of President Lincoln was photographed by Brady himself on January 8, 1864. Other photographs of the President by Brady Studios have served as the basis of the Lincoln penny and the five-dollar bill.
For more resources relating to Mathew Brady, Brady Studios, and Civil War Photographs:
- The Civil War as Photographed by Mathew Brady
- Brady’s Lens: The Civil War and the Mathew Brady Collection in the National Archives
- Unnoticed: African Americans in Union Army Camps during the Civil War
- Civil War Photographs
- Mathew Brady Photographs of Civil War-Era Personalities and Scenes, 1921 - 1940
