My dad is a history lover. In my experience, history lovers usually have a lot of big, heavy books, and one of my dad's favorites was a huge hardcover book about Mathew Brady's photography.
Mathew Brady was one of the first photojournalists ever. He was a presidential photographer (Abraham Lincoln's favorite) and he also thoroughly documented the Civil War, including the graphic aftermath of battles. If the person made history or news in America in the mid- to late-1800's, there is a good chance that Mathew Brady photographed him or her. Matthew Brady is quoted as saying, "My greatest aim has been to advance the art of photography and to make it what I think I have, a great and truthful medium of history." And he did just that.
Fast forward to little ole' me as a Michigan farm kid in the 1970s and 80s. We didn't have much to do in wintertime in the cold rural north, and I read a lot. I pored over that Mathew Brady book. I learned a lot about American history, including the Civil War, through the eyes of Mr. Brady's camera.
Perhaps it was this influence that helped spur my interest in "living history" photography. One of my favorite subjects to photograph is a person in historical costume. Here are a few examples of pictures taken at Historic Brattonsville, a wonderful living history museum, farm and Revolutionary War site in York County, South Carolina.
Woman as Slave @ Brattonsville
And with the magic of Photoshop, the same picture kind of looks like one that may have been taken during Mathew Brady's time...
I loved this boy's red curls and I just had to have a picture of them.
Woman Spinning Wool
Slave Quarters, one of the many authentic buildings at the museum
Historic Brattonsville is well worth the trip from Charlotte, and is a wonderful educational experience. Check out the events on the web site - there are some special activities that even small children will enjoy.
No comments:
Post a Comment