Train of Army Wagons Entering Petersburg, Virginia 1865

Curator: This gelatin silver print from 1865 is titled "Train of Army Wagons Entering Petersburg, Virginia," attributed to John Reekie. Editor: There's such a sense of quiet resignation here, despite the subject. The monochrome and slightly blurred clarity really contribute to a somber tone. I keep noticing the line of covered wagons, like a slow, tired caravan stretching into the city. Curator: This was taken shortly after the Siege of Petersburg ended. The photograph marks a crucial moment: the Union army's entry signifies the beginning of the end of the Confederacy. This image offers a window into how the Union victory was visually disseminated and memorialized through photography. Editor: The sheer repetition of those wagons makes me think about their materiality – the wood, canvas, and all the equipment they carry. Each one represents immense labor, both in construction and deployment. All these elements reduced to their components show how war effort touches every aspect of civilian lives. Curator: Absolutely. And what strikes me is how ordinary it all looks. We're used to seeing heroic battle scenes, but here, the imagery underscores the prosaic aspect of war—supply lines, logistics. Reekie gives a sense of war as a socio-economic engine rather than high spectacle. Editor: I'm wondering about how staged this shot is as well; knowing that photography was still very technical at that time: I wonder if Reekie moved the wagons into that place or simply captured that moment. Because you need an elevated space for the photographer as well, I mean the materiality surrounding the image is telling. Curator: Good point, indeed. I’d also suggest that this picture fits within a tradition of history painting, which typically elevates or mythologizes war. However, the medium of photography grounds us in an unvarnished reality. The truth seems starker here, not the glorification of an army but what looks like a defeated population. Editor: It makes you think about the impact the image has with photography itself at that time; those are soldiers indeed but the way they dress tells about where the war has gone with common equipment of field usage; I still am curious on the production of the image though. Curator: It's clear this photograph serves as a potent reminder of the Civil War's complexities beyond purely military history and indeed how public memory takes root. Editor: The picture tells a rich story about effort.