Learning from Images
Description by Joanna Stephens, BOFT's curator
I have always been a photography person. I packed loads of film in my luggage for my first trip to Europe. I returned home with over 20 rolls of film and then patiently waited for them to be sent off and developed at the photolab. I have photoboxes stored in my closet that contain thousands of printed pictures and at last count my digital images topped 40,000….(and that’s just my personal stash of photographs). While I might be a little bit obsessed and over the top with my pictures, it is so easy for the majority of people across the world to now pull out their phones and snap a quick picture. No more lugging film around, waiting for images to be developed, or going to a special studio. We use photographs to document events, capture beautiful scenery, share a great dinner with friends, or even take a picture of ourselves, all with great ease.
By the time of the American Civil War, photography was still relatively new, fairly expensive, and very limited. As many soldiers enlisted in the army, both North and South, they went to professional studios and got their images taken. (Often times this was the very first time they had their pictures made.) Henry J. Walker was one of these men. Walker was from Franklin, Tennessee and enlisted in the 24th Tennessee Infantry in August of 1861. We believe that this ambrotype image was taken at a studio sometime in the fall of 1861. If you look closely at the image, you can see he is wearing a uniform jacket with dark cuffs and a high dark collar. And if you look super close, you can see that there are pockets in the middle of the front. These small details are very important to us, because they show us, without a doubt, that the jacket Henry J. Walker is wearing in this picture from 1861, is the same one that we have in our collections! Henry's jacket is our second item of the day.
Sadly, Henry Walker was killed at the Battle of Shiloh on April 6, 1862. This jacket (and the picture of him wearing it) was saved by his family. This jacket, with its unique pockets and cuffs, has been studied and viewed by many people to get a better understanding of early uniforms. As one of the earliest documented Army of Tennessee jackets in existence, it is a true treasure in our holdings. We are honored to have had it in our collections since Henry Walker’s niece, Miss Annie Walker, donated it to the Carter House in the late 1950s.
Questions:
Smaller photographs, like the one of Henry Walker, became very popular among soldiers and their families during the Civil War. Why do you think that was?
Why do you think people had to go to a studio to get their photograph taken?
In the picture, you'll notice that Henry Walker's buttons are gold? Was color photography popular at the time of the Civil War? If no, how do you think his buttons were made gold?
Do you notice any other similarities between the image of the jacket and the jacket?
Many early photographs were kept in cases. Why do you think that is? (Hint: look at the definition of an ambrotype below.)
Answers:
Photographs became popular for the exact same reasons that we take pictures now - to keep memories of our loved ones. The difference between then and now, is that a soldier or a family may only have the one image of their loved ones.
Cameras were new and expensive. Only photographers owned their own cameras. So, people had to go to the studio where the camera was.
Color photography was not popular at the time of the Civil War. The first color photograph was taken in 1861, but the average person did not have access to it. Some people, though, would have their images "colorized" or tinted. Henry Walker's buttons are hand painted in gold.
If you look closely, the buttons are the same. They are U.S. Army General Staff buttons.
Photos were kept in cases for a few of reasons. They looked nice and protected the photographs. However, having a background on an ambrotype was especially important because you would not be able to see the image without a dark background.
Vocab Word:
Ambrotype - A photograph taken by placing a glass negative on a dark background. This means the lighter color portions of a photograph are printed on the glass. So, when the glass is put against a black background, the darker portions are visible.