Mathew Brady | |
|---|---|
 Brady c. 1875 | |
| Born | Mathew Benjamin Brady c. 1822–1824 Warren County, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 15, 1896 (aged 71–74) New York City, U.S. |
| Resting place | Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C. |
| Occupations |
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| Spouse |
Juliet Handy
(m. 1850; died 1887) |
| Signature | |
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Mathew Benjamin Brady[1] (c. 1822–1824 – January 15, 1896) was an American photographer. Known as one of the earliest and most famous photographers in American history, he is best known for his scenes of the Civil War. He studied under inventor Samuel Morse, who pioneered the daguerreotype technique in America. Brady opened his own studio in New York City in 1844, and went on to photograph U.S. presidents John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Millard Fillmore, Martin Van Buren, and other public figures.
When the Civil War began, Brady's use of a mobile studio and darkroom enabled thousands of vivid battlefield photographs to bring home the reality of war to the public. He also photographed generals and politicians on both sides of the conflict, though most of these were taken by his assistants rather than by Brady himself.
After the end of the Civil War, these pictures went out of fashion, and the government did not purchase the master copies as he had anticipated. Brady's fortunes declined sharply, and he died in debt.
- ^ Meredith, Roy (1974). Mr. Lincoln's camera man, Mathew B. Brady. New York: Dover Publications, Inc. p. 1. OCLC 1169230.