Brady, Mathew B. (1823?-1896), was a famous American photographer. He is recognized as one of the first great photographers of American historical subjects. Brady’s pictures provide the only visual record of many leading people and events of the 1800’s. When the Civil War began in 1861, Brady felt the conflict must be photographed as completely as possible. He hired up to 100 cameramen, who took thousands of pictures, including battlefield scenes and scenes of army camp life.
Brady was born in Warren County, New York, and moved to New York City about 1840. He opened a studio there in 1844 to produce a type of early photo called a daguerreotype (see Daguerreotype ). By 1851, Brady’s eyesight had grown too poor for him to operate a camera. His name became a symbol of his business rather than a claim that the work was his. A number of Brady’s pictures won prizes, though many were made by people who worked in his studios. He died on Jan. 15, 1896.
