[The Wilderness Battlefield]
1864
![[The Wilderness Battlefield] by Unknown](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.artheonmuseum.org%2Fmet%2Fph%2Fthumb%2Fthe-wilderness-battlefield-306608.webp&w=3840&q=75)
Medium
Albumen silver print from glass negative
Dimensions
Image: 5 in. × 3 3/16 in. (12.7 × 8.1 cm)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gilman Collection, Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 2005
Accession Number
2005.100.944.14
Tags
Art Historical Context
**The Wilderness Battlefield** (1864) captures the haunting aftermath of one of the American Civil War's most brutal engagements. Fought in May 1864 in Virginia's dense, tangled Wilderness forest, the battle pitted Union General Ulysses S. Grant against Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Thick underbrush and wildfires turned the clash into a chaotic inferno, with nearly 30,000 casualties in just two days. This small albumen silver print, measuring just 5 by 3 inches, offers a stark, intimate view of the scarred landscape—twisted trees, debris, and the eerie silence of devastation—serving as a ...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...