Collection of Civil War photographs including war casualties | Collections | The Huntington

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Collection of Civil War photographs including war casualties

Description: A collection of 63 Civil War photographs compiled by John P. Nicholson, Civil War veteran and collector. The albumen photographs are mounted on boards that had been bound into an album (now disbound). Most are undated and have little identification, though some have faded pencil writing on back. Many images depict battlefields, primarily in Gettysburg, such as Little Round Top, Devil's Den, and others. Of particular note are photographs of war dead on the battlefield by Mathew B. Brady and Timothy O'Sullivan (1863); and an image of a dead young man, labeled a "rebel sharpshooter," by Alexander Gardner. Another image shows Brady overlooking "The Wheat Field" at Gettysburg, July 1863, attributed to Egbert Guy Fowx. There are several group portraits of soldiers and officers, often at camp, sitting or standing in front of tents; one features officers with women, presumably their wives or family members. Those identified include General Francis Preston Blair Jr. and staff; soldiers of the 8th New York State Militia at camp; 1st U.S. Cavalry at Brandy Station, Virginia; musical band of the 114th Pennsylvania Infantry (Zouaves); and artillery of the Army of the Cumberland near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Other subjects are: General George G. Meade's headquarters; men building fortifications; a government coal wharf and the Orange and Alexandria Railroad roundhouse in Alexandria, Virginia; a bird's-eye-view of Washington, D.C. with the Capitol and Smithsonian Institute Building "The Castle"; and a panoramic image of "the field over which Pickett charged" by photographer William Bell. A few images include Black men in civilian clothing. The album is disbound, and three photographs have been matted and housed in Box 2.

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Photograph album (disbound)
Visual Materials
A collection of 63 Civil War photographs compiled by John P. Nicholson, Civil War veteran and collector. The albumen photographs are mounted on boards and were bound into an album (now disbound). Most are undated and have little identifications, though some have faded pencil writing on back. Many images depict battlefields, primarily in Gettysburg, such as Little Round Top, Devil's Den, and others. Of particular note are photographs of war dead on the battlefield by Mathew B. Brady and Timothy O'Sullivan (1863); and an image of a dead young man, labeled a "rebel sharpshooter," by Alexander Gardner. Another image shows Brady overlooking "The Wheat Field" at Gettysburg, July 1863, attributed to Egbert Guy Fowx. There are several group portraits of soldiers and officers, often at camp, sitting or standing in front of tents; one features officers with women, presumably their wives or family members. Those identified include General Francis Preston Blair Jr. and staff; soldiers of the 8th New York State Militia at camp; 1st U.S. Cavalry at Brandy Station, Virginia; musical band of the 114th Pennsylvania Infantry (Zouaves); and artillery of the Army of the Cumberland near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Other subjects are: General George G. Meade's headquarters; men building fortifications; a government coal wharf; the Orange and Alexandria Railroad roundhouse in Alexandria, Virginia; a bird's-eye-view of Washington, D.C. with the Capitol and Smithsonian Institute Building "The Castle"; and a panoramic image of "the field over which Pickett charged" by photographer William Bell. A few images include Black men in civilian clothing. The album is disbound, and three photographs have been matted and housed in Box 2.
photCL 307
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Herbert William Singleton Collection of Civil War Photographs
Visual Materials
The Herbert William Singleton Collection is a group of Civil War photographs acquired by Civil War veteran Lindsey M. Gould in the late 19th century as a keepsake of his war experience. The collection includes the work of noted photographers Mathew Brady, Alexander Gardner, William H. Tipton, and George S. Cook. The collection is organized into four discrete yet interrelated units. The first consists of 79 photographs by Mathew Brady (1823-1896) and Alexander Gardner (1821- 1882) of scenes of the Civil War taken between 1861 and 1865. Included are group portraits of generals with their staffs, important wartime sites and activities, and photographs of paintings depicting various skirmishes. While the photographs were taken by Brady and Gardner during the war, the images were printed around 1885 by John Taylor and marketed by the firm of Taylor & Huntington. These photographer-entrepreneurs hoped to capitalize on twenty-fifth anniversary war reunions and commemorations by reissuing the once-familiar views. On the verso of each image is a partial list of the photographs sold by Taylor & Huntington for 75 cents a piece. The second grouping of photographs depicts two views of Abraham Lincoln and portraits of the Lincoln conspirators and their execution. These were also taken by Brady and Gardner during the war and, as with the first group, printed and issued around 1885 by Taylor & Huntington. Of particular rarity are the fourteen photographs of the Lincoln assassination conspirators including portraits of David Herold, George Atzerot, Edward Spangler, two views of Lewis Payne, two views of Michael O'Laughlin, and an unidentified conspirator. Additionally, there is a complete set of three images depicting the execution of Mrs. Surratt and the conspirators taken by Alexander Gardner on July 7, 1865, as well as three of the five known images documenting the execution of Captain Wirtz, the notorious Keeper of Andersonville Prison. Eighty-three cabinet portraits of Confederate Generals and other Southern leaders by George S. Cook (1819-1902) comprise the third section of the collection. Cook was a friend and former employee of Mathew Brady, and he provided E. & H.T. Anthony Co. with portraits from the South, including the first portrait of Colonel Robert Anderson. These portraits may come from sources other than Cook as he purchased competing photographers negatives, issuing them on his mounts. These portraits were taken in the 1860s but printed between 1880 and 1890 when Cook operated his Richmond, Virginia studio at 913 East Main Street. The last grouping of photographs contains 210 images by William H. Tipton (1850- 1929), the self-described "Battlefield Photographer." The imperial-sized photographs depict the numerous monuments erected on the Gettysburg battlefield to honor the soldiers who fought and died in this decisive battle. The photographs date from the 1880s. The Singleton Collection constitutes of one of the most complete historic archives of the Gettysburg monuments. An item-level description for all the images follows in the container list. The Huntington item number appears in the left margin beside each photograph. Where applicable, the photographer's original negative number appears in parentheses at the end of the description. Descriptions appearing in brackets were assigned by the cataloger.
Photographer Mathew B. Brady at the Wheatfield in Which General Reynolds Was Shot, Gettysburg
Visual Materials
This image shows Brady standing at a split rail fence looking over the Wheatfield following the Battle at Gettysburg. He is reflected in the surface of the pond in the foreground.
photCL 307 (15)
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Matted photographs from album
Visual Materials
13. Wheatfield in which General Reynolds was shot, Gettysburg, July 1863. Photographer: Attributed to Egbert Guy Fowx, for Mathew B. Brady studio. 15. View of Mathew B. Brady at the Gettysburg battlefield, July 1863. Photographer: Attributed to Egbert Guy Fowx, for Mathew B. Brady studio. 51.Battle-Field of Gettysburg. View on the Field after Fight of First Day, July 4, 1863. Photographer: Timothy H. O'Sullivan
photCL 307
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Photograph album of groups of Civil War veterans at battlefield sites, and related images
Visual Materials
An album of photographs of groups of people gathered for reunions and commemorations of the Civil War, chiefly in the 1880s. The album contains albumen prints, 7 x 9 inches, mounted on board, with no handwriting or identifications, though many are at Gettysburg. Some groups are posed at battlefield monuments that reveal locations, such as one at Little Round Top, and another of five veterans posed with historian John B. Bachelder at the 29th Ohio Infantry Monument, Gettysburg. Men are often wearing badges or ribbons with a star, and sometimes military hats. A few women also appear in the groups. Two photographs depict crowds gathered to hear a speaker on a platform, and another shows a group standing in front of a tree posted with a sign reading "Here is where Gen. Reynolds was killed, July 1, 1863." Identified photographers are: P. S. Weaver (view of a group on Culp's Hill at Gettysburg), W. H. Tipton, Rile, and Rile & Kerns. Two mounted photographs by Mathew Brady, 1862, were laid in the album: "No. 207. Soldiers' Graves at Bull Run" and "No. 237. Ruins at Manassas." The Brady images and two others loose from the album are housed in Box 2.
photCL 305
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Brady's Album Gallery series photographs of the Civil War
Visual Materials
Various views of the Civil War on card mounts, 4.5 x 6 inches. All have labels for the series "Brady's Album Gallery" and are credited to photographers Mathew Brady, Alexander Gardner, or Barnard & Gibson. Subjects: Antietam battlefield and bridge; soldiers digging graves for the dead; Confederate soldiers' dead bodies at their battery; Old Capitol, Washington D. C.; Long Bridge; Christ Church, Alexandria; General McClellan's tent; Yorktown; White House residence of Col. Lee; Cornwallis' Cave; temporary hospitals; Stone Bridge, Bull Run; Mrs. Spinner's House; Quaker Gun, Centreville; Grigsby House; troops drilling at Fort Lyon; soldiers at Manassas.
photPF 2640-2693