Matthew Brady Recording History

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Matthew Brady Recording History
Matthew Brady was born the son of Irish
Immigrants in 1822, in Warren County, New York.
Brady grew up in nearby Saratoga Springs, moving
to New York City in 1839 where he was introduced
to Samuel Morse, an influential American who is
most commonly known for his invention of the
Telegraph. More importantly, Morse had just
returned from France after studying with Henry
Daguerre, the inventor of the Daguerreotype,
which gave birth to the modern art of photography
in the 19th century. Fascinated by Morse and
the Daguerreotype Process, Brady devoted himself
over the next several years to obtain the capital
and knowledge to open his own studio on Fulton
and Broadway in 1844. Matthew Brady
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Matthew Brady Innovations
As Brady was learning photography, the most
common method used to make photographs was the
Daguerreotype. The Daguerreotype, was made by
exposing copper plates to iodine, the fumes
forming light-sensitive silver iodide. The plate
would have to be used within an hour. Exposing
the plate to light would have taken 10-20
minutes, depending on available light. Developing
the plate involved holding it over mercury heated
to 75 degrees centigrade causing the mercury to
amalgamate or fuse with the silver to create the
image. Daguerres choice of chemicals was such
that the action of light left a milky white
image, leaving an image with unprecedented
clarity and detail. The weaknesses of the
process were that the image could not be
reproduced and was therefore, unique and
extremely fragile. The chemicals, bromine and
chlorine, produced fumes which were highly toxic
to the photographer, and the image unless shot
with mirrors was typically reversed.
Zachary Taylor, war hero
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Matthew Brady Innovations
In 1851, Frederick Archer concluded that
collodion would bind light sensitive chemicals
better than albumen (egg whites) onto glass
plates. Collodion was a combination of pyroxylin
and acetone that dries to a thin, clear film
which was used for dressing and protecting wounds
in the Crimean War. Brady and other early
American photographers saw the benefit of this
new technique and continued to innovate
photography. The benefits were that collodion
reduced exposure time drastically from 20 minutes
to seconds. Also importantly, because a glass
base was used, the images were sharper and less
expensive than a daguerreotype and the images
could be reproduced multiple times onto paper.
Most importantly, Archer never patented his
collodion process, making it widely available to
photographers like Brady who made photography a
viable new art form and spread it throughout
America. Walt Whitman, Poet, Writer
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Matthew Brady Innovations
While a huge advancement from the daguerreotype
process, collodion was not without its faults.
The chemicals, while not as toxic as bromine and
chlorine, were still highly explosive. Setting up
the plates required patience and Brady developed
traveling darkrooms and enlargers that were
cumbersome. The process was still very labor
intensive, the chemicals were spread across a wet
plate and sensitized the sensitivity decreased
sharply if it dried. This is why the process is
most commonly referred to as The Wet Plate
Collodion Process. Still, Brady received
numerous awards on his photographs and made
innovations to enlarging and printing onto paper
making small vignette images and Imperial
Prints large images that were as large as
17x20. William Tecumseh Sherman, Union
Commander, Army of the Tennessee
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Matthew Brady Innovations
From his studio on Fulton and Broadway, Brady
started the first portrait gallery, shooting
virtually all of the most important figures of
his day. Brady continued to make important
innovations, like incorporating a skylight into
his studio for lighting. Brady would record, with
only one exception every president from John
Quincy Adams (6th) to William McKinley (29th).
Only William Henry Harrison was not photographed,
as he died only 3 months in office. Brady became
highly successful in the venture of opening his
studio to the public and selling images of
important figures, in 1847 he opened a
contemporary gallery in Washington DC, by 1950 he
was the defining photographer of his age.
Bradys real genius, however, was his desire to
capture the essence of America and nothing
defined that more, than the Civil War. Matthew
Brady around 1875
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Matthew Brady Innovations
During the Civil War, Brady was determined to
document this historic event. He assembled a team
of twenty photographers and often was exposed to
fire taking images in areas of conflict. Brady
once said, My greatest aim has been to advance
the art of photography and to make it what I
think I have, a great and truthful medium of
history. His expansive, 10 volume Photographic
History of The Civil War is a monumental
achievement, documenting a pivotal point in
American history her famous sons, her soldiers,
the battlefield, and the aftermath objectively
and passionately. Because of Matthew Brady, the
Civil War period and its prominent participants
are vivid and permanently etched into our
national psyche. Bradys quest to capture the
spirit of America, is perhaps his most enduring
legacy. Robert E. Lee, Commander, Army of
Northern Virginia
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Matthew Brady Recording History
Joshua Chamberlain, 20th Maine commander and hero
of the Battle of Gettysburg.
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Matthew Brady Recording History
Ulysses S. Grant, Union General, Army of The
Potomac, Commander of the Army of Tennessee 18th
president of the United States.
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Matthew Brady Recording History
Dead Confederate Soldier, Confederate soldier
killed in action.
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Matthew Brady Recording History
Union Defenses at Washington D.C., Batteries
defend the capital along the Potomac River.
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Matthew Brady Recording History
Sherman and his adjutants General Sherman and the
commanders of the Army of Tennessee
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Matthew Brady Recording History
At the end of the war, Brady and his team of
photographers had produced over
10,000photographic plates, which cost over
100,000. The general public, tired of the long
war of attrition did not purchase or want Bradys
images and he fell into bankruptcy. The entire
collection of Civil War images were put up for
auction and sold to US government in 1875 for
under 3,000. Brady was also paid an additional
25,000 from the government but this was still
not enough to cover the massivedebts he accrued.
He died in 1896 as a penniless, lonely, alcoholic
only prevented from an anonymous potters field
by the kindness of strangers. We view Brady
today as one of the greatest American
photographers to have lived, a documentarian and
innovator of the processes of early photography.