Alexander Gardner 1821-1882 - Portrait of Lewis Payne 1865
photo 627
I love the old photos which tell stories. The faces of the past which have no other connection left through human memory and relationship and that photography has immortalised. Roland Barthes wrote “I happened on a photograph of Napoleons’ youngest brother Jerome, taken in 1852 and I realized then, with an amazement I’ve not been able to lessen since: I am looking at eyes that looked at the emperor.”
Gardner was born in Scotland and moved to the US in his thirties, he was a socialist interested in working class reforms and wanted to help Scots move to new farms in America. His work during the American Civil war is often misattributed to Matthew Brady. Gardner recorded the aftermath of the assassination of President Lincoln, one of the conspirators Lewis Payne is shown in this picture in his cell.
Gardner pioneered the collodian wet plate process which uses glass plates soaked and still wet with chemical gel exposed and developed within 15 minutes before they dried. They collected a huge amount of detail. On the 11th August I’m going to feature a modern artist using the same method. Gardner made 17/20 inch prints from the glass plates and charged 50-750 dollars for each. The short time period meant that Gardner and his fellow Civil War photographers had portable darkrooms, like caravans which they travelled around the battlefield with.
what an amazing photograph and story - the way the picture is composed draws you in to find out more about the person - great narrative and composition
there is just something so right about the light and how it just radiates the face. It also has an intensity in its gritty industrial revolution setting. Great history lesson on this.
I am amazed at the detail that these early photographers were able to get, using a process that was not easy. A good example of this was the Cincinnati Panorama of 1848 http://1848.cincinnatilibrary.org/ Nice one to start out your collection
Thanks guys. I really didn't know how to take a break for a month apart from not uploading or dragging something out from the last 2 years outtakes. I'm glad people like the idea, I have so many photos that I love it will be a pleasure to share them and if people find just one new thing to know or enjoy then thats ace. Thanks for your input!!!
@hjbenson
That's a Daguerrotype, it predates this method, to be honest Harry I don't know how they worked but weren't they the first kind of photograph. The old stuff is amazing.
@chewyteeth Daguerrotypes were the first commercially available types though there were experimental ones earlier. It basically used silver and was much higher resolution then what we have today, but very expensive and time-consuming
i saw this picture a long time ago through google image search (i attempted to sketch it with mediocre results) and this is the first time I learned of this picture's background. very interesting! :)
posted August 13th, 2012
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Thanks guys. I really didn't know how to take a break for a month apart from not uploading or dragging something out from the last 2 years outtakes. I'm glad people like the idea, I have so many photos that I love it will be a pleasure to share them and if people find just one new thing to know or enjoy then thats ace. Thanks for your input!!!
That's a Daguerrotype, it predates this method, to be honest Harry I don't know how they worked but weren't they the first kind of photograph. The old stuff is amazing.