DAC Collection Artist Information
Mathew B. Brady
American photographer
Brief biography, in most instances from the Union List of Artist Names® Online:
Brady first learned the art of photography in 1841, where he studied with Samuel B. Morse at the New York Academy of Design and at Morse's own daguerreotype school. Brady opened a daguerreotype studio in New York City, New York in 1844, where over the years he concentrated on portraits, most notably famous contemporary Americans, such as the statesman Henry Clay. In 1847, with his business flourishing, Brady opened another portrait studio in Washington, D.C. In 1860, Brady opened the largest of his galleries, called the National Portrait Gallery, and in that year took his first of many famous portraits of Abraham Lincoln. In 1861, Brady requested permission to document the Civil War. From 1861 to 1865, he organized teams of photographers attached to all parts of the United States Army who documented battles, officers and equipment. Brady and his team were able to cover all the battles and events of the war, which include portraits of Generals Grant and Lee, as well as unflinching images of dead soldiers. Brady approached the state concerning purchasing his collection, but it wasn't until 1875, after a vote in Congress, that the War Department of the United States purchased part of his Civil War collection of glass negatives. The purchase came too late, as Brady was reduced to poverty, selling the last of his galleries in 1895.
Artist ID number in the Union List of Artist Names®: ULAN 500126201.
The ULAN link above leads to a cataloging authority record at the Getty Research Institute.
Objects related to Mathew B. Brady:
| Mathew B. Brady | John W. Alsop II, ca. 1859 | Albumen print carte-de-visite |
| Mathew B. Brady | Mrs. Samuel Dana, 1859 | Albumen print carte-de-visite |
| Mathew B. Brady | Portrait of an Unknown Man, ca. 1860 | Daguerreotype in case |
| Mathew B. Brady | Admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont, ca. 1860-1865 | Carte-de-visite |
| John Chester Buttre after Mathew B. Brady | Abraham Lincoln, ca. 1860 | Engraving on wove paper |
| Timothy Cole after Mathew B. Brady | Abraham Lincoln, 1919 | Wood engraving on tissue paper |
| Timothy Cole after Mathew B. Brady | Abraham Lincoln, 1919 | Wood engraving on tissue paper |
ULAN biographical content is displayed with permission of the Getty Research Institute. Some ULAN content in some DAC artist records has been lightly edited. Content from the Getty Research Institute is © 2018 The J. Paul Getty Trust. All rights reserved.
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