Scene of Gen. McPhersons Death 1864 - 1866

George N. Barnard’s photograph, "Scene of Gen. McPhersons Death," uses the wet collodion process to capture a Civil War battlefield. This technique, popular in the mid-19th century, involved coating a glass plate with chemicals, exposing it in a camera while still wet, and then developing it immediately. The resulting image, printed on paper, has a distinctive tonal range. Look at how the subtle shades of gray render the dense forest. But think about what is not shown: the labor of preparing and developing the plates, often in makeshift darkrooms near the battlefields. Also consider the amount of equipment needed, and the difficulty of transporting it. Barnard was one of many photographers who documented the war. His work, and that of others, served not just as records, but as a means of shaping public memory and a way of profiting from the conflict. By focusing on the processes and social context behind this photograph, we can better appreciate its artistic and historical significance, and how new technologies changed art making.