Guard Mount, Head-Quarters Army of the Potomac 1864

Editor: This is Timothy O'Sullivan's photograph, "Guard Mount, Head-Quarters Army of the Potomac." The sepia tones feel so distant, almost dreamlike. What stands out to you about this piece? Curator: I'm drawn to the materiality of the photograph itself. Consider the albumen print process, how it translates a moment in time into a tangible, consumable object. Look at how this impacts our understanding of labor during wartime. Editor: Consumable, how so? Curator: Photographs like these weren't just documentation; they were commodities. Think about the market for war imagery, the dissemination of these images, and how that fuels public perception. What do you think? Editor: That definitely changes how I see the photograph. It's not just a picture; it's a piece of history shaped by the act of its production and consumption.