Amazing Online Collection of Late 1800s - Early 1900s Battlefield Photos

[Championhilz]

While doing some research today I was happy to find that much of the Albert Kern photograph collection at Carillion Historical Park in Dayton, Ohio, is now online! Kern was a lawyer in Dayton who was very interested in the Civil War. He was also an amateur photographer, and a very good one. Starting in the 1880s and continuing into the 1900s, Kern traveled all over the country photographing Civil War battlefields. There are literally thousands of images of battlefields in the collection: Franklin, Shiloh, Vicksburg, Champion Hill, Corinth, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg are just some of the places that were documented by Kern with his camera. I discovered the Kern collection some years ago by accident when I purchased a set of magic lantern slides on Ebay that Kern used in the talks he gave for the public about the battlefields he visited. You can find the online database here: www.daytonhistory.org.

[Mutt]

Re: Amazing Online Collection of Late 1800s - Early 1900s Battlefield Photos

Thanks for sharing! Some very cool shots in that collection. The relic shots are great! It looks like Kern was vet as well?

Best,

[Resaca]

Re: Amazing Online Collection of Late 1800s - Early 1900s Battlefield Photos

Thank You ! Thank You ! I' ve been waiting to see some of these photos for quite a while. Had just about given up on it.
Some pics of Resaca I've never seen, it's like Christmas today !
Thanks for sharing.

Tony Patton

[rbruno]

Re: Amazing Online Collection of Late 1800s - Early 1900s Battlefield Photos

Ok,
I couldn't find the database. Where is the search function?

[YankeeTiger]

Re: Amazing Online Collection of Late 1800s - Early 1900s Battlefield Photos

Can't locate them on the website...

[Resaca]

Re: Amazing Online Collection of Late 1800s - Early 1900s Battlefield Photos

Once your on their website, scroll down to the Dayton History Digital Archive, click on it, type in "battlefields". Enjoy

Tony Patton

[YankeeTiger]

Re: Amazing Online Collection of Late 1800s - Early 1900s Battlefield Photos

Thanks Tony, hope you are well.

I see 5 pages of pics, a few dozen pics total..are there links to the 'thousands' mentioned? WOuld love to see mroe. The ones of the Ezra CHurch Battlefield and CHickamauga blew my mind..as these are very rare views

[YankeeTiger]

Re: Amazing Online Collection of Late 1800s - Early 1900s Battlefield Photos

OKay it appear that if you simply use the term 'kern' thousands of images do come up.
Interestingly enough most are not CW related, BUT there are some real gems in the lot including pics of the Wright Brothers and their crazy flying machine at the fairgrounds...

These images are a real gem and a heck of a find!!!


edit: I am absolutely floored and speechless. Try keywords 'Chickamauga' or 'Kennesaw'
Very few people have ever seen these images..I am in shock. Have been looking for post war images of Cheatham Hill area for over a decade before the monument was dedicated in 1914..there are a few images of cheatham hill in 1898...again, I am floored

[Resaca]

Re: Amazing Online Collection of Late 1800s - Early 1900s Battlefield Photos

Awesome stuff ain't it ! Sorry I forgot to mention the keyword stuff, thats how I found the Resaca photos. One of the photos of Chickamauga at Alexanders bridge shows the shadow of Kern with his camera in the fore ground. Cool stuff.

Tony

[YankeeTiger]

Re: Amazing Online Collection of Late 1800s - Early 1900s Battlefield Photos

found that one tony!

Also check Kennesaw, Cheatham, Allatoona, Resaca, Franklin, Atlanta, Chattahoochee

Just an absolute gold mine and perhaps one of the greatest collections discovery in decades...at least for those of us who have searched for years for western theater battlefields before they were 'modernized' or 'national park-ized'

[mdougher]

Re: Amazing Online Collection of Late 1800s - Early 1900s Battlefield Photos

Its kinda funny, looks like Gettysburg hasn't changed much in 100 years, huh? I love the pic of Spanglers Spring.

[YankeeTiger]

Re: Amazing Online Collection of Late 1800s - Early 1900s Battlefield Photos

Mike, Gburg became a Circus sideshow within days of the battle...that hasn't changed.

THe Western Theater Battlefields remained virtually untouched in remote locations until well into the 20th century yet little photographic evidence remains or even exists which makes Kern's GA, TN and MS battlefield images so special.

I've seen literally hundreds maybe thousands of of late 19th century photographs from Gettysburg...I've seen, until this point TWO from the Atlanta campaign