September 22, 2003
Photographic Manipulation during the American Civil War
Confederate Defenses in Front of Atlanta, Georgia, Photographer George N. Barnard, 1864.
Here's your photographic education bit for the day. Over the weekend I got pulled into watching an episode of Antiques Road Show. What grabbed my attention was not the antique furniture, but a spot they were doing on photography during the American Civil War. I’ll watch anything relating to the war (except the film Gods and Generals, AKA GAG and it's called that for good reason). The brief spot on photography didn’t tell me much that I hadn’t already known, but they told me one thing I did not know and was stunned and amazed by. The photographer, George N. Barnard, who in 1864 became the photographer for the Military Department of the Mississippi under General William T. Sherman, added dramatic skies to his landscape photos! WOW! In the 1860’s here was a guy manipulating images in a clunky mobile darkroom by adding cloud filled skies to add drama to his already dramatic images. This had to be incredibly difficult given the photographic processes of the time. Photography in the ACW was still pretty much in its infancy. Large, bulky, and heavy equipment along with very long exposure times, and complicated and dangerous chemical processes were the norm. Barnard used the collodion process, which was not only inflammable but highly explosive. Several photographers were reported to have demolished their darkrooms and homes, some even losing their lives, from negligent handling of the chemicals. And yet, through all of this, George N. Barnard was taking the time to manipulate his images by adding clouds through multiple exposures in a mobile darkroom. It must have taken him many long hours to get it just right. Sixty-one of his images were published in 1866 in the book, Photographic Views with Sherman's Campaigns. Below are links to more examples of his work.
Confederate Defenses in Front of Atlanta, Georgia
City of Atlanta, Georgia
Hi Will,
That is absolutely amazing.
Thanks for your comment on my blog yard art.
Always good to hear from you.
Huggies
Lulu :)
Wow that is a true artist. He had great talent and determination. I can only begin to imagine what he had to go trough to just get it right. :)
Posted by: Martie on September 24, 2003 12:24 AMI'm was pretty astounded to find out about the process and the skill required by Barnard to manipulate the photograph, but do you think he's added a sense of dishonesty within the photograph. I mean come on these pictures were to document the reality of war, was changing the sky really necessary? Is this even adding an aspect of spin to the benefit of Barnard? I know these are cheeky questions but it's worth thinking about.
Posted by: Osk on January 13, 2004 11:20 PMHi Osk,
I don't think that adding a dramatic sky made the photos 'dishonest' in any way. The sky can make or break a photo. Generally all clear skies (called bald skies in photos) are a bad thing. Clouds add visual interest and can serve as a nice backdrop and as a means of framing the main subject. All photos go through some form of manipulation from the minor (contrast or color adjustment) to the extreme (adding elements such as extra people or removing elements such as cars or buildings). I am amazed at what Barnard could accomplish given the infancy of photography and the equipment. Regardless of the fact that he added dramatic skies, he still documented the war. Let me tell you what Alexander Gardner, Matthew Brady, Timothy O'Sullivan and James Gibson would sometimes do. They would go to a battlefield and set up shots by dragging bodies from one spot to another. Sometimes the same dead bodies appeared in different photos taken at different locations on the battlefield! Then they set the bodies and equipment in different poses. There is a famous image called "Home of a Confederate Sharpshooter."
The photos underwent some form of manipulation either pre or post-production. The sharpshooter image, and Barnard's images are still powerful and they still bring home the deadly earnestness and reality of war regardless of manipulation. Also remember that the photographers of the period were not photojournalist. Photojournalism was still years away. Photos could not be printed in newspapers at the time of the Civil War. They considered themselves to be more on the side of artists than journalist.
Best regards,
--Will