Accession Number1978/2.31
TitleEngineering Corps
Artist(s)Mathew B. BradyArtist NationalityAmerican (North American)Object Creation Date1861Medium & Supportalbumen print on paperDimensions 11 in. x 16 7/8 in. ( 27.9 cm x 42.9 cm )
Credit LineMuseum PurchaseSubject matterMathew Brady was a successful photographer with studios in both Washington, DC and New York City. When the American Civil War broke out, Brady sought permission to travel with the Army to document the war. After securing permission, he trained and stationed teams of photographers equipped with mobile darkroom wagons throughout the areas of fighting. As he said, "I had men in all parts of the army, like a great newspaper." Brady covered all the expenses out of his own funds.
Although other photographers, notably Roger Fenton in the Crimean War (1853-56), made photographic records of battlefields, Brady's effort with his teams of photographers made the Civil War the first protracted war that was comprehensively documented through the new medium of photography.
Physical DescriptionA group of soldiers stand and sit in a landscape; some face the camera while others are posed engaged in conversation. Behind them stand several tall trees and between them a tent with the flaps decorated with an American flag. Seated alone to the left is a young African-American man holding a broom.
Primary Object ClassificationPhotographCollection AreaPhotographyRightsIf you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit
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Keywords
Weaponry
seated
soldiers
standing
tent
trees
weapons