Interesting Photo

[JLHurst]

Re: Interesting Photo

Mr. Reid,

I'm with you on most of that. But the having time, and traps on while cooking is a possability. "A Fighting Withdrawl" it was done. Mr. Yearby, Mr. Landrum, Mr. Mobley, Mr. Tilley, Myself and others were on picket all night. It was arranged in such a way that Sgt. Landrum allowed us to travel down in a gulley and have a small fire enough to prepair some type of food. While rotating pickets on post.

Aparently it worked, after discussing with the Feds (which captured our position thanks to Mr. Acker) The only thing reported seen was the light from that of a smoking pipe. :o

After recieving the riot act from Sgt. Landrum I decided not to retrive my pipe from my knapsack before picket!

Either way, I think we can all agree that there are things that just don't click in this photo. Hence the title of the thread, no doubt.

[Dignann]

Re: Interesting Photo

Any speculation why? Why not just dress them in summer uniforms, or have them wear what they'd already be wearing, rather than go find greatcoats for them to put on?

First, how common was it for artists to use photographs instead of live models in the glass-plate period?

First, I'm guessing that these men are not soldiers, but are instead models. Not being associated with the army in any capacity, Bierstadt may well have outfitted them in whatever he get his hands on. A greatcoat may well have been all he had available for that fellow, thrown over the model's civilian clothes.

Some years ago, one of Bierstadt's other stereoscopic views was auctioned by Cowan's or HCA Auctions. It was discussed here on the A-C, but that thread disappeared in the crash. The stereo was nearly identical to Bierstadt's painting entitled Guerrilla Warfare (Picket Duty in Virginia), which was painted in 1862. It strongly suggested that the photo was the basis for his artwork.

Jason Wickersty, in the previous thread entitled Civil War photos plus more..., stated that this image is reproduced in its original wartime stereoscopic form on page 29 in Bob Zeller's The Civil War in Depth, Volume 2. The image was labeled as pickets cooking their rations near Fredericksburg, December 8, 1862. Could it be that Bierstadt was staging vignettes, some of which were not necessarily intended to represent Bull Run, and later labeled them as such for commercial gain?

Regardless, I'm convinced that this is a wartime image, as the documentary evidence certainly points in that direction.

I have a copy of Zeller's book at work, and will check it, but I won't be back in the office for a couple weeks.

Eric

[Mike Willey]

Re: Interesting Photo

I copied this photo to Larry Strayer to get his opinion, as my instincts were suspicious about the origins. For those that don't know, he is a prominent collector of Ohio CW images and memoralbilia, and is a lifelong collector. Some of his images are prominent in various Blue Acorn Press books; he co-wrote the Ohio issue of Military Images magazine a couple of years ago, etc.

He is of the opinion that this is from the centenial/1960's, and was somehow not catalogued properly by the LOC. He had never seen the photo before.

I concur with his opinion. It's a neat image, but just doesn't quite have the right look.

Mike Willey
late of the 49th Ohio and Coffee-coolers

[ContinentalMorganGuard]

Re: Interesting Photo

I'm not sure why many people have to be so suspecious? It's been established over and over its a period image. The guy in the great coat and bloused socks is the "dead" guy in the picture "Dead at Manassas", which is in many books, and is atributed to the appropriate artist. I do believe the that the pictures is staged, and the men it more then likley aren't soldiers, look at how they wear thier gear, etc etc. But, I find it funny that there are other pictures on other threads that people are saying are faked, etc, because they can't see a wound on the dead guy, etc etc, or they looked staged. Many of the period after the battle kind of pictures were at least partially staged, you can see it in the way gear is laid out or how perfect the soldiers body position is. It's what the photographgers did back then, for artisitic effect. That's just my .02.

[HistoryGeek]

Re: Interesting Photo

Here's a strange twist.....what if it's spring? How many of us have slept on or under our greatcoat at night and/or put it on when you get up to cook breakfast in April? Could be soldier or reenactor. I'm still thinking about the guy in the background....sort of strange that he shows up in a period photo if he is indeed running as it looks. That much motion...he would look ghostly.

Why is it in the Library of Congress if it's not preiod? Or if it is nobody knows if it isn't? I don't think it's ghostly. But who would wear a great coat in Spring?

HistoryGeek
Evan Hunsberger

[Enfilade]

staged images

The Library Of Congress has many staged images. Here is another. It is "History" and they(photographers) were the CNN of the day.

Mark Berrier
North State Rifles
northstaterifles.com

[bushy chops]

Re: Interesting Photo

I don't know if it has been mentioned, but the hiarcuts and styles of the men in the "gettysburg" picture are not common for the period. They look far too modern IMHO. I cannot definitly say whether this is a period image or not, but i'd be willing to wager it is not Gettysburg in july 1863. To many issues with this pic to believe it is period.