Mathew Brady, Civil War photographer, upon his return from the First Battle of Bull Run, wearing a saber given to him for defense by New York Fire Zouaves.
Toronto. Many old photo collectors have a ‘war’ category. One well known NYC photographer anticipated a demand and decided he would photograph the American civil war. Sadly, interest in these war photos died with the end of the American civil war and the photographer died in poverty.
At the time of the war, the prevailing photographic process was the wet plate. It demanded the glass plates be sensitized, exposed, and developed before the emulsion dried. Worse, the process was too slow for action photos, only still shots would be sharp.
The photographer’s solution? Put all the darkroom gear, etc. in a wagon that could be pulled to each battle and the results recorded.
Well you may not spot one of Brady’s photographs at our 2025 events, you will have fun and perhaps spot items for your collection. Our next 2025 event will be the famous fall fair on October 19th. See PHSC News 25-7 for details.
NB. The title is a riff on the movie, “Westward Ho the Wagons!” produced in 1956 by Walt Disney.
