Rare! The Civil War Through The Camera- 16 parts Pub. 1912 Brady photos

Books : Military : Collectibles : Books : Civil War : Brady Photographs : Rare : Military : Photography

 

" Hundreds of Vivid Photographs Actually Taken in Civil War Times in Sixteen Parts Comprising A Complete History of the Civil War". Elson's New History by Henry W. Elson, Professor of History, Ohio University. Published in 1912 by Patriot Publishing. All 16 books of this outstanding collection are offered. Each book treats a series of related battles and is heavily illustrated by photographs, many of them taken by famed Civil War photographer Matthew Brady and thought to have been lost for 50 years. Each book has 32 unnumbered pages and a frontispiece of a full-color painting - the one shown here is of Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg and the photographs on the facing page are the spectators as they listened to Lincoln's Gettysburg address.

It is not possible to identify which photographs are Brady's because other companies retained the copyright on all the images in the book. However the Brady fan will recognize not only his excellent portraiture of military notables and other dignitaries (he was a portrait photographer by trade) but his emphasis on battlefield dead which he portrayed in heartbreaking reality. Throughout, the photographs depict the grim men and stark surroundings of the war. The photograph of General Meade's "headquarters at Cemetery Ridge" shows a ramshackle cabin with the bloated corpses of horses or mules near it.

The dates of the photographs begin in 1861, including one of Lincoln at Antietam in October, 1862 and end with a studio portrait of him made on April 9, 1865, just a week before his death.

The condition of the collection is remarkable considering its material and age. Each book is stapled into card stock covers and printed on gloss-finish paper. There are three colors - dusty blue, tan and beige. The books must have been stacked in irregular fashion during their history since the beige books have darkened where they were exposed to light and air. The paper covers are in fine condition, just discolored. The covers of Parts Two and Three have split and detached at the spine but are not torn. Surprising, however, is the fact that so many of the books are in near new condition. I've listed the condition of the Parts as best I can describe them:

Excellent: 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 15, 16

Very Good - 11 (one page has bent but not torn corner)

4 has small spot on front cover.

Good - 6, 12, 14 - excellent except for cover discoloration

2, 3 - detached covers as described above

1 - Centerfold pages have come loose from staple but are not torn. Spine is quite worn.

5 - Worn spine.

Item ID: RL-292