The Only Body Photographed By Mathew Brady At Gettysburg

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.

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Same as Greg's first pic in HD. Interior chairs still outside next to front door. And I want to say that the vegetation on the right margin is a berry patch. I know mine are in full swing here in July. Leaves have ripped off along with fruit. Visible to the left of the small building look to be grapes vines along with their wooden support posts.
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Examining the barn in this pic closely it appears that at the time of the battle the forebay (overhang on left side of the barn) extended the entire length of the barn. You can see two support beams and the it is open past the second visible beam.
I included a modern pic of the barn below. Where better then half the forebay has now been enclosed.




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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 :wink:). 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.
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?
 
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?
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!
 
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!
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.
 
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