Mathew brady

In the 1860s and 70s, Mathew Brady was made a fortune in the US taking portrait photographs of the nation?s rich and famous. They literally queued up to have their portraits made and hung in what he called his ?National Portrait Gallery?, which became a tourist destination in the US at this time. With the outbreak of the Civil War, never one to miss a business opportunity, Brady dispatched teams of photographers to record generals and soldiers as well as the scenes of battle themselves. His image of the battlefield at Antietam, which was actually taken by Alexander Gardner, one of Brady?s ?technicians?, was one of the first images to show the harsh reality of war.