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Summary
Summary
Mathew B. Brady was already a famous photographer by the time the Civil War began. But the war gave Brady something else:
The chance to make a RECORD OF A WAR -- this war -- in a way that had never been done before: WITH TRUE-TO-LIFE PICTURES INSTEAD OF JUST WORDS. He hired field photographers to travel with the troops, equipped them with cameras and wagons filled with supplies, and sent them out with the directive to make a visual record of the war and to show people scenes they could have only read about before.
The pictures the field photographers sent back were HAUNTING, BEAUTIFUL, DEVASTATING, AND TOTALLY UNFORGETTABLE. And thousands of them included the notation "Photo by Brady." Though Brady didn't actually take the photographs, he was the genius behind them. His vision and foresight gave the country images that not only touched the people at the time, but have gone on to leave an indelible mark on the collective memory of this country. And the name of Mathew Brady will always be remembered with them.
In Photo By Brady, Jennifer Armstrong tells the story of the Civil War as seen through the lenses of its recorders. It is a moving and elegant look at the brutal and deadly time.
Author Notes
Jennifer Armstrong, a noted author of historical fiction, including "Black-Eyed Susan" & "The Dreams of Mairhe Mehan", lives in Saratoga Springs, New York.
(Publisher Provided)
Reviews (4)
Horn Book Review
(Intermediate, Middle School) Armstrong gives youngsters a double exposure of the Civil War, first providing a chronological, factual overview and, second, focusing on showing how photographs, in particular prints from Mathew Brady's studio, allowed noncombatants to see how the war looked to those living, fighting, suffering, and dying on battlefields far from their homes. The book is cleverly structured: four sections, each taking its title from a photographer's process (""Preparation of the Plate,"" ""Exposure,"" ""Developing the Image,"" and ""Fixing the Image""), take readers from the war's outbreak to Appomattox Court House. The principals -- Lee, Grant, and Lincoln -- all have photographic space here, but so do the foot soldiers, the dead and wounded, the barren farmlands, and the civilian survivors. Less successfully developed is a series of fictional vignettes (""A Photograph Not Taken"") that sidebar the main text and sentimentalize its power. Also, the dual perspective, while rich in context, results in some information being omitted -- particularly definitions of several historical photographic terms, such as daguerreotype and stereograph, which, in the latter case, would explain the side-by-side images in a number of illustrations. Source notes and an accompanying bibliography, detailed photograph credits, and an index conclude the book. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Gr. 6-9. Readers may need some background to fully appreciate this, but Armstrong doesn't disappoint in a slice of Civil War history that uses photographer Matthew Brady as its touchstone. As the book opens, Brady mortgages his thriving business to fund, train, and equip a stable of photographers to document Union troops in Virginia and the East. The text smoothly juxtaposes the complex decisions Lincoln faced as commander in chief and the devastation at places such as Fredericksburg and Gettysburg against the task of taking photographs in the field. The bloody charges and the daily grind are vividly evoked in both words and carefully selected and labeled photos--some familiar, many unsettling. Intriguing, if unnecessary, text insets (Photos Not Taken ) challenge readers to imagine pictures they might have taken had they been part of the history. Packed with well-documented quotes, this truly absorbing account, written with both honesty and surprising grace, will sear the conflict in memory in the same way the photos did--and still do. --Stephanie Zvirin Copyright 2005 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-Dozens of 1860s photos by Matthew Brady and his contemporaries illustrate this revealing look at the impact of photography on the Civil War. Armstrong's clear prose delineates how the war itself accelerated demand for the new visual art form while dynamic wartime photos subsequently influenced public perceptions of the conflict. A successful combination of history, biography, and art. (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Using photographs to document the Civil War was right up Mathew Brady's alley. In the 1840s, he had created a photographic catalogue of America's most distinguished citizens, and his influence became such that Lincoln could say, "Brady and the Cooper Union speech made me president." It was Brady's art that helped Lincoln gain a national reputation before the 1860 election. Now, Brady brought the war--remote and unseen--to the people, and the war, the president, and the photographer will forever be entwined in our imaginations. Just as a photographer frames his subject, Armstrong frames hers, focusing on the war in Virginia and photographers based in New York City and Washington. The narrative is chock full of fascinating details, many drawn from soldiers' diaries and letters, and photographs are liberally sprinkled throughout the volume. Extensive picture credits and a useful bibliography round out a handsome volume sure to be a fixture in Civil War collections. (source notes, index) (Nonfiction. 9-14) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
