Field Telegraph, Battery Wagon
September 1864
Medium
Albumen print, pl. 73 from the album "Gardner's Photographic Sketch Book of the War, Volume II" (1866)
Dimensions
Image/paper: 17.7 × 22.9 cm (7 × 9 1/16 in.); Album page: 31.2 × 44.7 cm (12 5/16 × 17 5/8 in.)
Classification
photograph
Department
Photography and Media
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
196294
Art Historical Context
Captured in September 1864 by photographer David Knox, “Field Telegraph, Battery Wagon” offers a rare glimpse into the logistical backbone of the Union Army during the American Civil War. The image a horse-drawn wagon equipped with telegraph equipment, highlighting how rapidly advancing communication technology helped commanders coordinate troop movements across vast battlefields. As plate 73 in Alexander Gardner’s landmark “Photographic Sketch Book of the War” (1866), the photograph belongs to one of the first comprehensive visual records of modern warfare. Knox’s albumen print exemplifies t...