The Civil War's Trials, Tribulations Topic Of West Hartford Exhibit

University of Saint Joseph

WEST HARTFORD, CT — A West Hartford university is hosting a historically significant photography exhibition about a period in American history many thought was unthinkable.

The Art Museum at the University of Saint Joseph is the first venue for the traveling exhibition "A House Divided: Photography and the Civil War."

It opens with a reception on Thursday, March 20, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the museum, located on the campus at 1678 Asylum Ave.

The exhibition will be on display through May 10. Admission to the museum is always free.

While the Civil War (1861-1865) was not the first conflict recorded by the camera, it was by far the most extensive photographic effort to date.

According to USJ, there were some 300 photographers covering every theater of war, and every portrait studio memorializing the new recruits in their fresh uniforms as keepsakes for their loved ones.

"Photography was only 22 years old when the war began, but photomechanical advances already made it possible to reproduce these images in the nation’s newspapers and magazines, giving birth
to modern photojournalism," wrote USJ in an announcement.

This exhibition comprises more than 100 rare original photographic prints and images documenting important aspects of the Civil War.

Battlefield “action shots” were technically impossible in the 1860s, when photography involved large-format view cameras on tripods, fragile glass plates, and long exposures.

In addition to the major military campaigns, sections of the exhibition address slavery (“America’s Original Sin”) and Civil War medicine.

"Over the war’s four years, doctors and nurses gained invaluable experience with treatment of infectious diseases, surgical techniques, anesthesia, and sanitation, ushering American medicine into the modern era," wrote USJ.

Meanwhile, two free and open-to-the-public events are slated in April regarding the Civil War. They are:

• April 10, 5:30 p.m., Crystal Room, USJ. Paul A. Cimbala, professor emeritus, Fordham University will discuss "Civil War Soldiers: Why They Joined, Why They Fought, What They Learned, and How They Shaped America’s Future."

Open to the public free of charge. Supported by the Vincenza A. Uccello ’56 H’00 Lecture Fund

• Gallery Talk: April 29, 5 p.m., Art Museum at USJ. Matthew Warshauer, Professor of History, Central Connecticut State University.

All works in the exhibition are from the collection of Michael Mattis and Judith Hochberg. This exhibition was organized by art2art Circulating Exhibitions. At USJ it is supported in part by the Karen L. Chase ’97 Fund.

For more information on the Civil War photography exhibit and the Art Museum at USJ, click on this link.