Edward Albert
Particulars
- Accession number
- S/NPG.99.83
Meanwhile, in the life of Mathew B. Brady
The whole life1850s
His eyesight begins to fail
In the 1850s Brady’s eyesight begins to deteriorate; this may in part explain why he later rarely visited the battlefields himself and why many images in his collection are thought to be the work of his assistants.
1861
Lincoln permits him to photograph the war
Taken with the idea of documenting the war itself, Brady first asks his old friend General Winfield Scott, and then President Lincoln, for permission to send his photographers to the battle sites; Lincoln agrees in 1861 on condition that Brady finances the project himself. Despite the dangers, the financial risk and his friends’ discouragement, he said he simply had to go.
1861
Under fire at Bull Run
His first popular photographs of the conflict are taken at the First Battle of Bull Run, where he gets so close to the action that he barely avoids capture; later he comes under direct fire at Petersburg and Fredericksburg.
1861
Hires photographers with travelling darkrooms
He employs Alexander Gardner, James Gardner, Timothy H. O’Sullivan, William Pywell, George N. Barnard, Thomas C. Roche and seventeen other men, giving each a travelling darkroom. Brady himself generally resides in Washington, organizing his assistants and rarely visiting the battlefields, so many images in his collection are the work of his assistants.
1861
Offers parents portraits of departing soldiers
