Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
What can photographs tell us about violence, mourning, advocacy, and inequity?
Images of the deadliest war in American history shaped public understanding of the conflict, giving form to battlefield sacrifice. This lecture considers some of the most canonical photographs to emerge from the Civil War by Mathew B. Brady, Alexander Gardner, and Timothy H. O’Sullivan before turning to photographs that reveal different histories—about who can be a soldier, how martyrdom is imagined, and what kinds of photographs might stand as evidence for war crimes.
The Wyeth Foundation for American Art Programs encourage an appreciation for the complexity and creativity of the art of the United States. Learn more: nga.gov/research/center/programs/wyeth-foundation-american-art-programs
What can photographs tell us about violence, mourning, advocacy, and inequity?
Images of the deadliest war in American history shaped public understanding of the conflict, giving form to battlefield sacrifice. This lecture considers some of the most canonical photographs to emerge from the Civil War by Mathew B. Brady, Alexander Gardner, and Timothy H. O’Sullivan before turning to photographs that reveal different histories—about who can be a soldier, how martyrdom is imagined, and what kinds of photographs might stand as evidence for war crimes.
The Wyeth Foundation for American Art Programs encourage an appreciation for the complexity and creativity of the art of the United States. Learn more: nga.gov/research/center/programs/wyeth-foundation-american-art-programs
