Stephanie Switzky
Dr. Quingjiang Yao
People Research Project
24 June 2011
Mathew Brady
Mathew Brady is known to be the greatest photo-historian of the 19th century. His photographs of Civil War scenes are seen in history books and in national archives. The Civil War is one of the most central events in American history as it was fought to help define the rights of states and for the issue of slavery. It was also the first war captured on film. For the first time in history, Mathew Brady captured images of the war and showed them to Americans who had never seen anything like that before. Photography and its impact on media are forever influenced by Mathew Brady because he felt called to duty; he felt called to show Americans what they were not able to see for themselves.
According to Wikipedia, Mathew Brady was born in Warren County, New York, in 1822. When he was 16 he moved to New York City where he worked as a department store clerk. At the age of 19 he began to study photography. Brady studied the photography process called daguerreotype under the skilled photographer, Samuel F. B. Morse, who is also the co-inventor of the Morse code. After recognizing that he had a natural gift, Brady opened a studio in Washington D.C in 1849 and started his professional photography career (Wikipedia).
Because Brady was consumed with his professional life, there is not much documented about his personal life, however, it is reported that in 1851, he married Juliet Handy. After a successful career of taking pictures of presidents, authors, and on the Civil War battlefield, Brady went bankrupt as the public became weary of the horrific war photographs. Juliet died in 1887 and Brady became a lonely and poor man. A website devoted to Brady, mathewbrady.com, reports that he was “left penniless and unappreciated even though he devoted his whole life to preserving and perpetuating the history of our country” (Morgan). He died in New York on January 15, 1896.
Taking a photograph in the mid nineteenth century required a four-step process. The National Portrait Gallery’s website explains how Brady took his award winning photography.
First, he prepared a glass plate with solutions of collodion and silver nitrate. While the plate was still wet, he placed it in the camera, exposed it, developed it, and washed it with water, making a negative. When the negative was dry, Brady placed it directly on a sheet of light-sensitive paper, exposed it to the sun. Finally the paper was developed, fixed, and washed, to produce a photograph. (Venable)
This primitive-like technology may sound difficult and time consuming to a generation who can point, click, and share from anywhere at any time, but it was quite impressive at the time.
Mathew Brady set out in his business adventure by taking portraits and eventually he was photographing famous people. One could say that he was the photographer for the stars! The website, footnote.com, reports that Brady “became famous for photographing notables, including presidents, generals, authors, and tycoons. His talent combined with his early exposure to politics, placed him in the right place at the right time in order to photograph the war beginning in 1961.” His most famous portraits are of President Abraham Lincoln. He took 35 portraits of Lincoln during the 1860 election campaign. Another information-filled website, spartacus.com, recounts that “After his [election] victory, Lincoln told friends that ‘Brady made me president’” (Simkin). It was an advantage for the public to be able to see the person running for president. The pictures Brady took of Lincoln are well-known as they are on the Lincoln penny and the five dollar bill.
The peak of Brady’s success came during the Civil War. Even though most of the photographs during the war were attributed to him, with a mark that says “Photograph by Brady,” he did not actually shoot but only a small portion. Instead, he had established his business and had formed a group of ten traveling photographers whom he organized and supervised. Brady preserved his corps’ negatives, and he also bought other photographs from private photographers, giving him quite a comprehensive collection. Spartacus.com reports, however, that Brady did take pictures at the battle at Bull Run.
In 1962, Brady shared the photographs with the public. This was significant because this was the first time people witnessed the carnage of war. The National Archives website reports that there are “6,000 digitized images from the Civil War” available on-line. His photography showed multiple aspects of the war. There were pictures of battlefields, camps, towns, and people. They do not, however, show the actual battle scenes (Perry). The subject of the picture had to remain still for several moments and that was not possible during battle.
After the war, Brady’s business declined drastically and he fell into bankruptcy. Even though congress purchased his collection for a large amount of money, Brady had more debt than income. In addition, his sales plummeted as Americans, who were now war-weary, were no longer interested in looking at pictures from the war.
Another interesting fact is that Brady is considered to be the first person to produce a modern advertisement. According to Wikipedia, “In 1856, Brady created the first modern advertisement when he placed an ad in the New York Herald paper offering to produce ‘photographs, ambrotypes and daguerreotypes.’ His ads were the first whose typeface and fonts were distinct from the text of the publication and from that of other advertisements” (Wikipedia, Mathew Brady).
Mathew Brady is significant because he took photography seriously enough to understand it to be his duty. A website that compiles his photography reports that Brady once said, “From the first, I regarded myself as under obligation to my country to preserve the faces of its historic men and mothers” (Mathew B. Brady Civil War Photographs). This was not merely a job for Brady, but a calling. He was devoted. Spartacus.com reports that “One observer claimed that Brady at Bull Run showed ‘more pluck than many of the officers and soldiers who were in the fight.’ Another witness pointed out that Brady “has fixed the cowards beyond the possibility of a doubt” (Simkin). At one point Brady’s friends tried to get him to stop taking Civil War photos because they feared that he was in danger on the battlefield and in his business. Wikipedia reports that “Brady persisted” and then explained, in one of his most famous quotes, that “‘I had to go. A spirit in my feet said, ‘Go,’ and I went’” (Wikipedia). However, it did take a toll on him in the long run. Mathewbrady.com says that this is evident because Brady said, “No one will ever know what [the Civil War photographs] cost me; some of them almost cost me my life” (Morgan).
It is obvious that things are a lot different since the Civil War and the time of Mathew Brady’s photography. However, it could be said, in a light-hearted manner, that Mathew is the first known paparazzi. His portraits of the presidents, government officials, and authors have shown the lives of the famous to everyone else.
Today, people who can’t be somewhere have a desire to be there even if not in person. Media through photographs (and videos) allow for the average person to experience life in other places, important places, making the intangible, tangible. There are even apps that just show several images from each day from around the world. These images, with a brief caption, can tell a comprehensive story of what has happened in the last 24 hours, practically instantaneously. The citizens on American during the Civil War did not expect to see the blood baths and the carnage of war, but like a modern day car wreck (or the covers of Us Weekly and Ok! Magazines or even reputable newspapers), they were fascinated with those images. Brady documented the lives of the famous and of historical events just like news reporters and paparazzi do now. It is notable that some of his images, like the Lincoln portrait and a few Civil War images have remained important to people in 2011. Today, when photography is so incredibly prevalent and there are countless images available, it will be interesting to see who among this generation and which photographs may remain relevant in the centuries ahead.
Engaging with Mathew Brady’s story is not difficult. Educators can discuss his significance in American history and in the media. An average person can be engaged in the art of photography by capturing the moments of life in a way that will allow others to be part of history. People in the media profession can reflect on the importance of photography and should consider when it is appropriate to take pictures of events and people. Footnote.com says that Mathew Brady believed that the “camera is the eye of history” (footnote.com). Those profound words are so true. To engage in Mathew Brady’s world, people in the media and everywhere can decide to capture history as their duties.
Works Cited
Brady, Mathew. BrainyQuote.com. 12 June 2011 <http://www.brainyquote
.com/quotes/authors/m/mathew_brady.html>.
Brady, Mathew. BrainyQuote.com. 12 June 2011 <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mathew_brady.html>.
Brady, Mathew. PhotoQuotes.com. 12 June 2011 <http://www.photoquotes.com/showquotes.aspx?id=115&name=Brady,Matthew>.
Footnote.com. Mathew B. Brady Collection of Civil War Photographs. 2011. 12 June 2011 <http://www.footnote.com/page/80_mathew_b_brady_collection_of_civil_war/>.
Life. Mathew Brady’s Civil War Landscapes . 2011. 12 June 2011 <http://www.life.com/gallery/58741/mathew-bradys-civil-war-landscapes#index/0>.
Mathew B. Brady Civil War Photographs . 22 September 1997. 12 June 2011 <http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/cwbrady.html>.
Morgan, Keya. Mathew B. Brady (1822-1896). 2004. 12 June 2011 <http://www.mathewbrady.com/about.htm>.
Perry, Douglas. National Archives. 9 June 2011 <http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/brady-photos/>.
Simkin, John. Sparticus Educational Mathew Brady. 12 June 2011 <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAPbrady.htm>.
Venable, George L. Making a Photograph During the Brady Era. 1997. 12 June 2011 <http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/brady/animate/intro.html>.
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Daguerreotype. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 10 June 2011.
Wikipedia, The Free Encylopedia. Ambrotype. 20 November 2010.
Wikipedia, Mathew Brady. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 19 June 2011.
Mass Media in a Free Society 
Mathew Brady’s story is even more relevant as photojournalism has been used extensivly to document the wars in Iraq and Afganistan, and the fact that Brady was the first photographer to put actual combat images on film highlights how important that is in our nations history. I really like the comment made by Abraham Lincoln when he said that “Brady made me President”. Lincoln noted that Brady’s photographs made him more appealing to voters, and his Brady pictures are even used on the penny and 5 dollar bill today. I would never downplay the importance of print journalism, but Mathew Brady’s photography really was the first example of using images to tell a story, which led to all other forms of journalism and news-telling. Like the article says, Mathew Brady is the first paparazzi, and his images left the nation, and world, wanting (and expecting) more.
A few things:
1. So does this make Brady the first professional photographer?
2. I’m curious what other countries have a story similar to this and what their time frame was as compared to Brady’s.
3. I looked up some of Brady’s pictures–very interesting. You notice in all of them that the subjects are staring at the camera like….”Are you really trying to get this horrific experience on film?” What pressure!!!! I’m also more surprised that his images are particularly clear. You would think when he took all these images that more movement would’ve happened leaving more blur due to the slower snapshoter clicker thing exposer (i’m not a photo major I don’t know these fancy terms); but I suppose that if many of his subjects were astounded by his presence and actions they probably were “frozen in time”, if you will (bah).
Nicely done, Stephanie!
after reading your paper, I realize that I’ve seen many of Brady’s photos. Back when I was in the 4th grade, I got hooked on the Ken Burns Civil War series after seeing a snippet of the series about Gettysburg. Being a consummate nerd, I had spent a lot of time reading about the major battles. Now, I got online and googled some of Brady’s pictures; many of them looked quite familiar. There is so much about the Civil War that we can visualize — and thereby understand better — because of this man’s contributions to American media.
It’s amazing to think that prior to this point in history, the only people who knew what a battlefield looked like were those who had been there during or after. How much of a shock was it for people far removed from the war to see such horrific scenes? I wonder if there was ever any outcry against the graphic nature of his photography. I wonder if any groups tried calling for the suppression of his work or engaged in efforts to block it from public view.
I’m taking a digital photography course this summer (in addition to this one) and it has been fascinating learning about these steps in the process of taking a photograph. It’s so time-consuming! To think that he had to spend that much time taking (photo) shots on the battlefields, that he risked so much is amazing.
What does this say about him that he took credit for his employees’ work? This may have been the norm for photographer running their own businesses. I saw the same phenomenon with my research on Thomas Edison — he had an entire cadre of researchers, scientists, and inventors working for him and yet so many of his innovations came out under the name Thomas Edison (whether it was his own name or the name of his company, the Thomas Edison Company). It seems to be a timeless tradition for the working men and women to fall into the shadows of the great ones.
An enduring question may be one about the content of his photography and his intent. What did Brady feel about the gore and horrors of war that he was presenting to a vast audience? Was he anti-war, and thereby seeking to present propaganda against the fighting? Was he seeking to evoke feelings of respect, homage, patriotism, and/or pride?
Great Job, Stephanie, and I particularly admire you for making yourself the first one to submit the paper.
I have learned many from reading this paper. I am sure that a lot of works have been done in the study. Brady’s whole professional life was dug out, described, analyzed, interpreted, and evaluated. The engagement part provides take-aways for people who want to promote Brady’s work and understanding of photography, making the paper even more impressive.
If I could have provided some suggestions while you were researching and writing, I might recommend searching with the keyword “Matthew Brady” in the 360 search function provided by FHSU library. A mixture of sources from internet, trade publications, and academic publications will make the research more credible than merely drawing sources from the internet, particularly wikipedia. As this is a project of critical analysis, a discussion of the limitation of Brady’s thoughts and philosophy might also be appropriate.
An excellent piece. I am expecting that with more time to do research, there will be more intriguing people research papers coming out from the class.
YES!!!! It’s always difficult to submit the first paper!!! I must commend you Stephanie!!! Seeing someone else’s paper makes it easier to grasp what the paper should be about and being the first is such pressure!!! Nicely done 🙂
Thank you for your hard work to search for the people Mathew Brady, after reading this people paper, i have strong desire to search for the Mathew Brady in-depth in terms of several reasons.
Firstly, i really appreciate the significant achievements of Brady in the field of portraits, particularly Lincoln. In other words, in your paper, Lincoln gives high praise for Brady, as for the serious opposition from rivals of Lincoln, it has great negative effects of the portrait of Lincoln. However, the photos from Brady portrays Lincoln as one kind person, so sometimes in my opinion i think the work from Brady promotes the success of Lincoln.
Secondly, i want to talk about some opinions about the financial crisis of Brady.In your paper, Brady devotes himself to the career of photos and develops advanced technology to promote the whole progress of media. Maybe this kind of behavior seems extreme, but I strongly agree with the behavior of Brady because this kind of behavior will promote the whole progress of society rather than satisfying the personal interests.
Finally, I want to talk something about the photos of Civil War. Some people feel anxious about the terrible picture of the war because of the bloody situation. However, as for the photos of Brady, He realisticly describe the carnage conditions of the Civil War. In other words, it’s only through this kind of war pictures that people come to realize the diastrous outcomes of the war,so Brady sometimes promotes the progress of the peace career in the global world.