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Civil War Images

Decent Essays

As the well-known Chinese proverb goes, “one picture is worth 10,000 words.” This saying means that one can tell a story or convey information without ever using words: an image can be more valuable and explain a situation more clearly, and with more emotion, than words, which can often be misunderstood (Martin). This practice is common today, and can be found even 150 years ago. Images are often used to persuade audiences into a certain point of view and evoke powerful reactions that change how someone views a situation. Matthew Brady understood the influence that a picture can have, and he used his photography of the Civil War to transform how Americans viewed war. Prior to the Civil War in 1861, paintings depicted the images of …show more content…

In this piece of art, which was commissioned a year after the battle physically took place, the artist captures, “a time when George Washington was exercising his truly heroic qualities in the American cause,” (“Washington at Monmouth”). Through the chaos of the battle at Monmouth, Washington is again shown as a powerful commander, coming alongside his men willing to fight with them. Because the painting was made a year after the event, the focus is on celebrating the American soldiers, portraying the cause in a positive light. However, hindsight can skew perspective and, in this case, can gloss over the harshness of a situation in favor of highlighting the valiant aspects. Like many of the paintings of its time, the emphasis of Washington at Monmouth was on the glory and the courageousness of the battle. This artistic perspective allowed the American people to view war in a romanticized way, seeing only the …show more content…

Brady grew up in the mid-1800’s in the state of New York, where he was tutored in the arts. Brady enjoyed his lessons so much that he opened a studio for his paintings and miniature portraits. Brady became very popular with the public, and when he started to gain fame in his career, he moved to Washington D.C. where he married his wife, Juliette Handy. He opened The National Photographic Art Gallery and published a book filled with photographs of famous Americans such as Henry Clay and Andrew Jackson. At this time, Brady was also getting attention from the President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. In fact, it was Brady who took the now iconic picture of Lincoln that is on the five-dollar bill still today (“Mathew Brady”). Brady was passionate about his career in photography and wanted to take it to another level. As controversy over the Civil War arose, Brady felt compelled to capture the war like no one had done before. Although people warned him of the dangers and risks of going into the war zone with his photography equipment Brady was determined to make it happen. After securing permission, he said his most famous words: “I can only describe the destiny that overruled me by saying…I had to go. A spirit in my feet said, ‘Go,’ and I went,” (Murray 59). This quote helps to illustrate his conviction and his willingness to go wherever necessary in order to tell the

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