- Joined
- Sep 15, 2018
- Location
- South Texas
I'm sorry if my comment came across as being judgmental. I see nothing wrong in Mr. Brady's actions. I don't think I'd do now but back then it was probably accepted behavior.
Pic of the barn. Looking past the barn towards what is now the KFC and McDonalds. Kinds gives you an idea of how open the ground was over towards King St.
Thanks for the comment, Byron. I agree with most of your point. The only issue I would somewhat disagree is regarding the comment on staging bodies. It was not unusual to add props to aa scene, but as far as moving bodies, or staging as you say, I am only aware of one case in which a body was moved to produce a more dramatic image. That, of course, is the famous, "Home of the Sharpshooter" photograph taken by Gardner at Gettysburg. The dead soldier in the photo had been photographed 72 yards down the hill before being moved to the sharpshooter's nest. Are you aware of any other documented case where the body was moved or photographed in two different locations?As mentioned prior, the ethics for battlefield photography weren't commonly established yet for CW-era photographers. Today, sure, we're a bit judgmental knowing the ethics of battlefield photography now well established. But at the time photography was as much a story-telling form as it was a record. The proper way to view it then is through that lens (as it were ). Staging bodies was not considered lying or dishonest if the story being told was true.*
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*Others will not be able to accommodate the idea (i.e. "wrong is wrong, period!"). I can only say that anyone with formal training in Art History understands it.
One that comes instantly to mind for me isn't at Gettysburg, Antietam, or any of the other battlefields you would expect - rather. it was at Corinth, Mississippi following the Confederate assault in October, 1862. A local photographer working amid the extensive Federal encampment and storage instillations rearranged the bodies of Texas Colonel William Rogers and others, propping them one upon the other to get a better view of their bodies with the earthworks of Battery Robinett behind them; perhaps @TomP who is the NPS historian there can further enlighten us about this incident!Thanks for the comment, Byron. I agree with most of your point. The only issue I would somewhat disagree is regarding the comment on staging bodies. It was not unusual to add props to aa scene, but as far as moving bodies, or staging as you say, I am only aware of one case in which a body was moved to produce a more dramatic image. That, of course, is the famous, "Home of the Sharpshooter" photograph taken by Gardner at Gettysburg. The dead soldier in the photo had been photographed 72 yards down the hill before being moved to the sharpshooter's nest. Are you aware of any other documented case where the body was moved or photographed in two different locations?
I am familiar with that image. Interesting, I just believed that the bodies were lined up for burial as seen in Gardner's Rose pasture series. Thanks for the info.One that comes instantly to mind for me isn't at Gettysburg, Antietam, or any of the other battlefields you would expect - rather. it was at Corinth, Mississippi following the Confederate assault in October, 1862. A local photographer working amid the extensive Federal encampment and storage instillations rearranged the bodies of Texas Colonel William Rogers and others, propping them one upon the other to get a better view of their bodies with the earthworks of Battery Robinett behind them; perhaps @TomP who is the NPS historian there can further enlighten us about this incident!