Private James H. Stokes, Company H, 185th New York Volunteers 1865

Editor: This is an albumen print from 1865 titled "Private James H. Stokes, Company H, 185th New York Volunteers," by Reed Brockway Bontecou. The figure looks incredibly gaunt. What can you tell me about this photograph? Curator: Well, this isn’t just a portrait; it’s a document deeply embedded in the material realities of the American Civil War. The albumen print process itself is significant. It allowed for mass production and dissemination of images like these. Consider the cost of materials and how they might reflect the economic climate of the war, north and south. Editor: So the medium matters as much as the subject? Curator: Absolutely. The very act of producing this photograph involved a complex chain of labor, from the harvesting of materials to the darkroom work, raising questions about the value and treatment of that labor during wartime. And who was accessing the picture and where? Also, look at James's evident wounds. His materiality has literally been altered by the material forces of weaponry. Editor: The photo seems staged, though, despite its gritty realism. Is that right? Curator: Yes, it is both a photograph and a representation carefully composed to affect the viewer. It's a tool of visibility and possibly persuasion or propaganda, designed for specific purposes and audiences in a divided nation. Its very construction becomes part of its meaning. Editor: That's really thought-provoking. Thinking about the materials and process opens up a whole new dimension of understanding beyond the soldier's immediate condition. Curator: Exactly! This image isn't just a snapshot of a soldier; it’s a material artifact shaped by social, economic, and political forces of the era, asking us to examine not only what it depicts, but how it came to be. Editor: I’ll never look at old photos the same way again.