From School Library Journal
Grade 6-10-This well-researched, well-written biography of the man credited with documenting the American Civil War focuses on Brady's professional life as a photographer. Although Brady is shown on the battlefield, he seldom photographed these scenes himself since his eyesight failed rapidly. Instead, as an enterprising entrepreneur, he hired others to trek to the sites and capture on film the horrors of the war. These pictures quickly dispelled the idea for the American public that battles were merely Sunday afternoon entertainment. Civil War buffs will find this excellent resource useful for information for reports as well as interesting reading about Brady and the part his photographs played in American history. A fascinating look at photography in its earliest stages, competently illustrated with black-and-white photos and reproductions of prominent figures of the time, battle scenes, and appropriate places and events in the subject's life.
Nancy E. Curran, Decatur Public Schools, IL
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Nancy E. Curran, Decatur Public Schools, IL
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Booklist
Gr. 6-10. Mathew Brady, photographer of the rich and famous of his time, is primarily remembered today for his visionary decision to create a photographic record of the Civil War. Sullivan skillfully recounts details of Brady's life and times, interweaving a history of the development of photography in the nineteenth century. Images created by Brady and his staff photographers still play important roles todaythe portraits of Lincoln on the penny and the five-dollar bill were drawn from Brady's photographs. In addition, Ken Burns relied heavily on Brady's photographs for the television series The Civil War. Sullivan's text is notable not only for its historical relevance, but also for the analogies the author draws between events of Brady's time and events of our own; for example, he refers to the Civil War as the world's first living room war because of Brady's photographsa characteristic sometimes attributed to television coverage of Vietnam and the Persian Gulf War. Brady's ability to cope with the changes in his profession, and to use them to his advantage, is also well presented. Scattered throughout are clear reproductions of many of Brady's photographs, including portraits, as well as pictures of the Civil War. This book will find an audience among readers who like biography and is an excellent choice for Civil War curricular units. Merri Monks
