
As the Civil War ended, photographers culminated their extensive coverage of the conflict with a flurry of activity. The fall of Confederate strongholds at Petersburg and Richmond, Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, and the sheer number of soldiers who flocked to Washington provided access — and photographic opportunities — not previously available to northern photographers.
These photographs were exposed on glass plates, generally 40 square inches or more. Even 150 years later, photographers struggle to achieve similar resolution even with large digital cameras. Each glass plate negative presends an opportunity to see the Civil War in detail.
















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