Mathew Brady

"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."

- Mathew B. Brady

Mathew Brady

 

     Mathew Brady was born in New York in 1822, and is widely known as being "The Father" of photojournalism. He is most famous for the photos he took during the civil war and his portrait shots of the times famous people. These people include Ulysses S. Grant, William Sherman, Stonewall Jackson, and even 18 presidents from John Quincy Adams to William McKinley.

President R.B. Hayes

    

     When first shooting photos of the civil war, he created an ad in the New York Daily Tribune telling families to get portraits of their young soldiers because "You cannot tell how soon it may be to late." This bolstered his popularity and he ended up asking President Lincoln if he can travel to the battle sites. Lincoln granted permission as long as Brady funded it all himself.

 

Good old Honest Abe

     His first popular set of photos were of those that were taking from the First Battle of Bull Run. It is said that he got so close to all the action he almost got captured by the Confederate. He later would just employ people to capture photos of battles for him as he got older in age. He would stay in New York and develop galleries.

James A. Garfield before he became the 20th president.

 

     In October of 1862, Brady would open up an exhibit called "The Dead of Antietam" which would be a new way for Brady to show off the war to citizens. This would also be the first time many civilians would see the true horrors of war.

Ulysses S. Grant leaning against a pole.

 

     After years of photographing, Brady ended up acquiring 10,000 pictures of the war in which he though the government would want to buy. Alas, he was wrong. Having to file bankruptcy, Brady ended up falling into a deep depression after his wife died. This would follow him until his death in January of 1896.