Mathew B. Brady: America's First Great Photographer

Photography was still in its infancy when the Civil War broke out in 1861, yet one young man, Mathew B. Brady, had the vision to create a detailed photographic record of the conflict, which nobody imagined would last for more than a few months.

Brady and his associate photographers made literally thousands of images, for the most part now in the care of the Library of Congress. This book is intended as a tribute to the talented, hardy, and ardent photographers, reproducing a selection of their works—blemishes and all—which are now recognized as the first in depth photo documentation of warfare.