[Civil War View] 1860s

Thomas C. Roche made this albumen silver print, entitled 'Civil War View.' The albumen print process itself is remarkable. It involves coating paper with albumen from egg whites, then sensitizing it with silver nitrate. The negative is then placed on the paper and exposed to light, which darkens the areas exposed to light. The print is then washed, toned, and fixed. Roche worked for the firm E. & H.T. Anthony, which mass-produced photographic supplies, including cameras, chemicals, and paper. His views of the Civil War were made using a mobile darkroom, which allowed him to develop his images on the spot. Think about the labor involved in preparing the photographic plates, setting up the shot, developing the image, and printing it. This was a very different kind of labor than that of the soldiers, but it was labor nonetheless. This image helps us reflect on the relationship between the industrialization of photography and its role in documenting and shaping the perception of war. It challenges us to consider photography not just as a documentary medium but as a product of its own historical and material conditions.