View in Arms and Trophies Room 1864

Curator: This is a captivating image taken in 1864 by Jeremiah Gurney. The piece, titled "View in Arms and Trophies Room," is an albumen print now residing here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. What strikes you first about it? Editor: An organized chaos! A collector’s fever dream, perhaps? There's so much to take in. My eyes bounce from rifle to sabre to…are those cannonballs on the lower shelf? There's a real energy in the layering and textures; quite powerful in its own way, almost overwhelming in a single photographic frame. Curator: The overwhelming feeling is likely intentional. It portrays a room absolutely overflowing with objects of war. It speaks to a very particular historical moment in the United States—the Civil War—when the physical and ideological realities of war were pervasive. This albumen print offers an intimate glimpse into how martial objects became symbols, reminders, even celebratory markers of a nation at war with itself. Editor: Celebratory is a loaded word here. The objects themselves exude such cold functionality. They speak volumes, but whisper nothing about valor, nothing romantic or ennobling. Just sheer, unadorned instrument for killing. I almost get a sense that there is a somber air amidst this arsenal that suggests that people fully grasp the stakes here. It's like, what exactly are they celebrating? Curator: Right. The war effort, but it does beg the question, at what cost? There is no human presence in this photo which enhances this ominous feel, perhaps suggesting a void. Gurney operated a very prominent portrait studio in New York City at this time and understood the power of imagery. He’s presenting us not just with a display of weapons, but a tableau representing the social and political climate. Flags become more than just cloth; the arrangement has symbolism. Editor: You put it beautifully! This makes the display into almost a morbid memento mori and time capsule. To view something like this is fascinating yet eerie, but certainly striking! I feel enlightened. Curator: I completely concur. These objects transformed by this presentation become a tangible lens through which to reflect on a fractious period in the history of the nation.