Alexander Gardner Alexander Gardner was born in 1821 in Scotland. He was an admirable photographer of the Civil War and Western world up through the late 19th century. In 1856, Gardner immigrated to the United States to pursue photography further. He was quickly hired by Mathew Brady to work in his photography studio. Eventually, Brady allowed Gardner and his apprentice Timothy O’Sullivan to take over Brady’s studio located in Washington D.C. while Brady maintained the one in New York.
As the Civil War rapidly approached in 1861, Gardner and Brady’s studio headed out to capture the war in its toughest moments. They worked together to create a complete photographic record of the events of the war. After multiple disputes about business, Gardner separated from Brady and his name. He created his own image and studio in 1863 in Washington D.C. Here, Gardner worked on his own photographic initiatives of the Civil War. His photographs of Gettysburg, Antietam, and even portraits of Abraham Lincoln are the best known images taken from the Civil War era. After the war ended, Gardner moved onto the western railroad. He became known as the official photographer for the Union Pacific Railroad. In addition to the railroad, Gardner photographed some of the Native Americans inhabiting the land out west as well. Years later, Gardner moved back to Washington D.C. to pursue other philanthropy interests up until his death in 1882. Timothy O'Sullivan Timothy O’Sullivan was born in 1840 in New York. He was a famous photographer and an apprentice to Alexander Gardner during the Civil War. In addition to his famous photos taken during the Civil War, O’Sullivan also produced images of western landscapes. Both Gardner and O’Sullivan worked at Mathew Brady’s studio until their departure in 1863. O’Sullivan then worked with Gardner in his own portrait studio, helping to produce images that were later published into Gardner’s Civil War sketchbook.
After the Civil War ended, O’Sullivan joined other photographers in field work, surveying western lands and recording them. He traveled all across the western half of the nation, producing images of different landscapes. O’Sullivan continued field work for many years before becoming the chief photographer for the Department of Treasury in 1880. Unfortunately, O’Sullivan left his position after a few months, due to having caught tuberculosis. After suffering for several months, O’Sullivan died in 1882 in Staten Island from tuberculosis. |
Mathew Brady Mathew Brady was born in 1822 in New York. His interest in photography began in 1839, under the guidance of Samuel B. Morse. Continuing to improve, Brady opened his own portrait studio in 1844 in New York City. His studio quickly gained attention, giving him the opportunity to photograph many famous Americans including Edgar Allen Poe, Daniel Webster, etc. Brady continued to expand his studio and its work up until the beginning of the Civil War. After hiring Alexander Gardner in 1856, Brady quickly opened up a new studio for photography in Washington D.C.
When the beginning of the war came about, Brady hired 20 additional workers in addition to Gardner, to photograph different aspects of the war. For the next year, Brady would spend his time organizing the photos that came back and putting them into exhibits for public viewing. By 1863 however, many photographers left Brady’s studio due to the lack of credit given to them by Brady for their photographs. Although many of the photos in Brady’s studio are famous today, his studio was bankrupt after the end of the war due to the lack of buying his photos. The government finally bought Brady’s photos at a storage auction years later. Brady never gained financial redemption after the war, leaving him financially unstable until his death in 1896. Francis Van de Wall Francis Van de Wall was born in 1821 in London, England. He is known for his photography skills of soldiers and citizens during the Civil War. Unlike Gardner or Brady, Van de Wall did local portraits and images of soldiers after the war. Van de Wall immigrated to Wisconsin in 1845. He tried to successfully hold various labor positions during the first 15 years of living in the United States but was unsuccessful in each one. He then turned to photography as a hobby and amusement at first.
After realizing he could potentially earn an income from this, Van de Wall opened his first photography studio in 1861. With the start of the Civil War a few months later, people and soldiers in particular, flocked in from all over to have their pictures taken. A newspaper in Wisconsin deemed Van de Wall’s studio as “the picture gallery for the boys going off to war.” In 1863, Van de Wall had the opportunity to work with another famous Civil War photographer named Alexander Hesler. His business flourished all throughout the duration of the war and would continue to for 20 years after. Van de Wall would continue his craft until his death in 1912 at the age of 90 |
Click below to see some of the photographs that many of these photographers took during the Civil War.
Sources:
Britannica Academic
American National Biography
"The Civil War Photography of Francis Van de Wall" (by James Hibbard)
"Mangled by a Shell" (by John Banks)
National Park Service, “Mathew Brady”
Britannica Academic
American National Biography
"The Civil War Photography of Francis Van de Wall" (by James Hibbard)
"Mangled by a Shell" (by John Banks)
National Park Service, “Mathew Brady”