[Canal and Ruins of Richmond and Danville Railroad Depot, Richmond, Virginia]
![[Canal and Ruins of Richmond and Danville Railroad Depot, Richmond, Virginia] by Alexander Gardner|Mathew B. Brady](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/met/ph/thumb/canal-and-ruins-of-richmond-and-danville-railroad-268009.webp)
Medium
Albumen silver print from glass negative
Dimensions
15.8 x 21 cm (6 1/4 x 8 1/4 in. )
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1933
Accession Number
33.65.216
Tags
Art Historical Context
Captured in 1865 by pioneering photographer Alexander Gardner under Mathew B. Brady's studio,Canal and Ruins Richmond and Danville Railroad, Richmond, Virginia* a poignant albumen silver print from glass negative. Measuring just 15.8 x 21 cm, this intimate yet evocative image depicts the shattered remnants of a vital Confederate railroad hub alongside a serene canal in Richmond, Virginia—the fallen capital of the Confederacy. and Gardner's team risked danger to document the war's aftermath, transforming photography into a powerful tool for historical witness. The photograph dates to the chaot...
About the Artist
Alexander Gardner|Mathew B. Brady
Alexander Gardner was born on 17 October 1821 in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, and came of age in a culture shaped by radical social thought. Influenced by the cooperative ideals of Robert Owen, Gardner initially apprenticed as a jeweler and harbored dreams of founding a utopian community in America. His encounter with photography changed the course of his life. After seeing Mathew Brady's cele...