Pass in the Raccoon Range, Whiteside No. 2

Art Historical Context

In the rugged terrain of Tennessee's Raccoon Range George N. Barnard's *Pass in the Racco Range, Whiteside No 2* captures a landscape from the 1860s, amid the American Civil War. a pioneering photographer embedded with Union forces, Barnard documented the war's sweeping campaigns, including Sherman's Atlanta Campaign and March to the Sea. Thisen silver print from a negative— a hallmark of mid-19th-century photographyreveals the medium's exquisite detail and tonal richness, achieved by coating paper with egg whites and silver salts for sharp, luminous images. The photograph likely depicts a strategic mountain pass near Chattanooga, a hotspot of pivotal battles like Chickamauga and Lookout Mountain in 1863. Barnard's work not only preserved the natural beauty of the Cumberland Plateau but also underscored the war's environmental toll, with its craggy vistas evoking both isolation and impending conflict. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this print exemplifies early war photography's role in shaping public perception, bridging art and history for future generations. (178 words)

About the Artist

George N. Barnard · 1819–present

George N. Barnard (1819–1902) was a pioneering American photographer whose six-decade career spanned the dawn of the medium, from daguerreotypes to Civil War documentation. Born into a farming family in Coventry, Connecticut, on December 23, 1819, he lost his father at age seven and apprenticed in family businesses before marrying in 1843 and relocating to Oswego, New York. There, he launched one ...