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On Alexander Gardner's photographic sketch book of the Civil War

by Anthony W. Lee, Elizabeth Young · 2007

Cover of On Alexander Gardner's photographic sketch book of the Civil War
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"Soon after Alexander Gardner's Photographic Sketch Bookwas published, in 1866, it became the Civil War's best-known visual record and helped define how viewers, then and in subsequent generations, would come to know the war. Gardner's classic also became foundational in the history of American photography, combining, for the first time, words and images in a sophisticated and moving account. This book, written by the art historian Anthony W. Lee and the literary scholar Elizabeth Young, interprets the story of the war as told by Gardner, unraveling his careful choice of words and images and the complicated play between them, and understanding them against the backdrop of the literary and photographic cultures of the American antebellum and Reconstruction eras. This book presents a unique study of a pivotal American historical document, approaching it from the perspective of visual studies as well as American literature and history." http://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0808/2007000212-d.html.

Criticism and interpretationHistoryPhotograph collectionsPhotographic criticismPhotographyPictorial worksUnited StatesUnited States Civil War, 1861-1865United States. Army of the PotomacVirginia Civil War, 1861-1865American history: c 1800 to c 1900Civil war