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Civil War Stereographs

Call Number

PR 65-1

Date

1861-1865, inclusive

Creator

Extent

5 Linear feet 868 items, within Stereograph File

Language of Materials

The documents in the collection are in English.

Abstract

The Civil War stereographs cover the entire period of the Civil War, from the first Battle of Bull Run through the surrender at Appomattox, and the triumphant parade of Union forces in Washington D.C. Most of the images were made in the Eastern Theatre, with scenes in Virginia by far in the majority.

The Civil War Stereographs are digitized and available in the Shelby White and Leon Levy Digital Library.

Biographical Note

Photographer Mathew Brady is represented, as well as his former employees Alexander Gardner, James Gibson, and Timothy O'Sullivan, who set up their own firm in 1863 because they wanted credit for their work which had previously all appeared under Brady's name. Other photographers include George N. Barnard, who photographed in Virginia and the Carolinas, Sam A. Cooley, who was the "Official Photographer" for the 10th Army Corps, and local photographers from Richmond, Gettysburg and other locations.

Arrangement Note

Arranged geographically when know, otherwise arranged by subject. Stereographs are further arranged by photographer or publisher's name.

Scope and Contents Note

The Civil War stereographs cover the entire period of the Civil War, from the first Battle of Bull Run through the surrender at Appomattox, and the triumphant parade of Union forces in Washington D.C. Most of the images were made in the Eastern Theatre, with scenes in Virginia by far in the majority. Views in northern states include naval shipyards in Massachusetts and Philadelphia, the battlefield at Gettysburg, and a rally and parades in New York City. Compelling images of death on the battlefield, and the destruction of cities, railroads and bridges show the devastating effects of the war. Individual and group portraits of participants are included along with images of soldiers relaxing in camps, drilling in the field, and ready for attack in trenches and other fortifications. There are images of African Americans fleeing slavery by crossing the Union lines, and of African Americans on southern plantations as well as serving in the Army and Navy. The damage to the Monitor after her fight with the Merrimac is shown, along with ships on the James River. Civilians also appear in the photographs, including photographers, artists and journalists, as well as a battlefield thief and members of the Sanitary Commission.

Most of the views presented here were published during the war by the photographers who made them, or by publishers such as E. & H.T. Anthony. Anthony's file was later obtained by General Ordway and published under successive imprints by John C. Taylor, and Taylor & Huntington to take advantage of the 25th anniversary of the war, and reunions that were held at the time.

Subjects

Access Restrictions

Available by advance appointment only. To schedule an appointment, contact the Print Room Librarian at printroom@nyhistory.org. Photocopying undertaken by staff only. Limited to twenty exposures of stable, unbound material per day. (Researchers may not accrue unused copy amounts from previous days.)

Access Restrictions

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Use Restrictions

Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.

Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

Preferred Citation Note

This collection should be cited as PR 5505, Civil War Stereographs.

Location of Materials

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Provenance

The Society acquired these items from various sources, although primarily from George T. Bagoe (1886?-1948) who specialized in collecting Civil War stereographs among other subjects. His collection came to N-YHS in 1960 and 1961. Other significant groups of views were acquired in 1922, 1923 and 1936.

Existence and Location of Copies

Digital copies are available in the Shelby White and Leon Levy Digital Library.

Collection processed by

Janet Murray; database migrated to Archivist Toolkit by Jennifer Gargiulo, 2016

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:50:10 -0400.
Language: Finding aid written in English.

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024