Gateway of Cemetery, Gettysburg
Alexander Gardner
American, born Scotland. 1821–1882
Timothy O'Sullivan
American, born Ireland. 1840–1882
July, 1863
A mid‑19th‑century albumen photograph by Timothy O’Sullivan that records the brick gateway to the Gettysburg National Cemetery, made to document the cemetery and the recent battle’s aftermath.
You’re struck by the solemn stillness: a heavy brick arch centered in the frame, surrounded by churned earth, scattered wagons and small, slightly blurred figures and horses that suggest recent activity beneath a wide, pale sky.
Taken days after the Battle of Gettysburg, the photograph exemplifies how Civil War photographers used the medium to transform battlefields into sites of public memory and to establish documentary photography as a tool for historical record and national mourning.
Medium
Albumen silver print
Dimensions
7 1/16 × 9 1/16" (17.9 × 23 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Anonymous gift
Accession
34.1941.39
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
